KFC suspends ‘finger lickin’ good’ slogan due to coronavirus

Fried chicken chain says slogan ‘doesn’t quite fit in the current environment’

KFC has announced it will be suspending its slogan “finger lickin’ good” due to the current pandemic.

On Monday, the fried chicken chain said in a statement that it would not be using the slogan for the first time in 64 years because it “doesn’t quite feel right”.

“We find ourselves in a unique situation – having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC told CNN.

In the statement, the fast-food chain assured customers that the menu would not be changing and the recognisable slogan will return when the “time is right.”

The move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people against touching their eyes, noses and mouths amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a YouTube video shared to the company’s UK and Ireland account following the announcement, KFC blurred the slogan on old billboards and buckets of chicken.

“That thing we always say? Ignore it. For now,” the video reads.

On social media, KFC’s announcement was met mostly with confusion, with many suggesting the decision was unnecessary.

“This is stupid. I believe it’s implied that the slogan refers to one’s own fingers,” one person tweeted, while another said: “Really? Isn’t that a little too much.”

However, as CNN noted, the suspension of the slogan is likely a marketing tactic.

The Independent has contacted KFC for comment.