KFC suspends 'Finger Lickin' Good' slogan, calling it 'inappropriate' during COVID-19

Kentucky Fried Chicken has launched a new advertising campaign announcing that it will shelve its longstanding "It's Finger Lickin' Good" slogan for a time, calling the catchphrase "inappropriate" during the coronavirus pandemic.

What are the details?

In a news release, the company joked, "and the winner of the award for the most inappropriate slogan for 2020 goes to....KFC."

The chicken chain's global marketing chief, Catherine Tan-Gillespie explained that while the slogan has served it well for more than six decades, it "doesn't feel quite right" for 2020 but "will be back" when "the time is right."

"We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," Tan-Gillespie wrote. "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."

CNN noted:

To be clear, Monday's announcement is a marketing campaign. A clever one, perhaps, with good intentions baked into it ... but a marketing campaign nonetheless. KFC blurred out the slogan featured on old billboards and signs in a cheeky ad released on its YouTube page.

Fox Business reported that a KFC spokesperson told them the ad campaign was not being featured in the U.S. market, but it "was running in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa and parts of Asia."

KFC has more than 24,000 restaurants worldwide in over 145 countries and territories. It is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, which also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.