👀Brandwatch: KFC drops its Finger Lickin’ Good slogan over coronavirus concerns

KFC has halted its famous Finger Lickin’ Good slogan because it doesn’t fit in with the current coronavirus hygiene advice.

The fast food chain said that the iconic slogan will return when the time is right.

The video on Twitter and Facebook then takes you to the below page:

Who complained?

In March, the Advertising Standards Authority received 163 complaints about a KFC TV advert which featured people licking their fingers.

The complainants considered the advert was irresponsible because they thought it encouraged behaviour that might increase the chances of Covid-19 spreading. The advert was withdrawn by KFC.

This isn’t the first time KFC have jumped on the trends with reactive tongue-in-cheek marketing. It was only last week when they tweeted and turned a frustrating situation (peddle chicken BTEC results) into a humorous and reassuring one.

*Standing ovation for KFC’s marketing team!*

The power of the FCK campaign

Being reactive and turning a situation around is nothing new for KFC. Instead of hiding away in shame about the chicken shortage fiasco in 2018, they surrendered, put their wings up and printed an apology in just TWO newspapers.

Interestingly, it didn’t publish anything on social media and that’s probably because they knew it would make its way over to social in no time at all.

By taking the apologetic ‘look, we messed up’ approach, the brand was able to turn a potentially damaging crisis into what has been described by some as a ‘brand triumph’ as well as achieving the forgiveness from thousands.

The brand is one to watch and learn from on social media. Their key ingredient is taking full accountability of a situation and flipping it on its head. They are bloody brilliant at turning a bad situation into a good one, winning lots of fans, followers and trust along the way.

Keep your eyes peeled – going by their marketing and social media approach so far, I would not be surprised if they’re already working up a campaign to welcome back the Finger Lickin’ slogan when the time is right.