KFC is suspending use of its famous “It’s Finger Lickin' Good” marketing slogan in select countries such as Britain, Ireland and Canada amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, calling it “the most inappropriate slogan for 2020.”
“We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” KFC quoted its global chief marketing officer Catherine Tan-Gillespie in a release Monday. “While we are pausing the use of It’s Finger Lickin’ Good, rest assured the food craved by so many people around the world isn’t changing one bit.”
The slogan, 64 years old and made famous by the fried chicken fast-food chain’s founder and pitchman Col. Harland Sanders, was suspended in commercials in the United Kingdom in March after British officials received complaints that the phrase was “irresponsible,” Fox News reported at the time.
Besides Britain, Ireland and Canada, the latest development also halts use of the phrase in the Netherlands, the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa and parts of Asia.
The policy will result in the words “finger lickin’” being blurred out or pixelated in marketing materials and TV commercials, the Guardian reported.
“Think we can all agree, this year has been like no other and, right now, our slogan doesn’t feel quite right,” KFC’s release said. “So, for that reason, we’ll be pressing pause on using it in our advertising for a little while.”
Fox News said the KFC website in Britain and Ireland tells customers to "ignore" the slogan.
"You know that thing you do with your tongue after finishing a delicious piece of chicken? Please ignore it … for now," the site reads. "We get it. It’s not going to be easy. There’s a reason it’s been our slogan for over half a century. So, eat the wings. Drink the gravy. Fill up on fries. And watch this space — the slogan will be back. Just when the time is right."
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