In an effort to get people to stop licking their fingers due to the proficiency of its chicken, KFC has decided to temporarily drop the "finger lickin' good" slogan from their ads. This idea to lose the 64-year-old catchphrase for the moment is a response to the coronavirus, and can be considered equal parts PSA and marketing campaign.
On Monday the restaurant chain announced that the slogan "doesn't feel quite right" during this time. This new change won't alter the menu in any way, and the slogan will make a triumphant return when the "time is right."
Something to look forward to.
"We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," said KFC's global chief marketing officer Catherine Tan-Gillespie, according to CNN.
Note that this is in relation to health officials saying you shouldn't touch your face to prevent COVID from maybe getting into one of your orifices.
Past out-of-the-box KFC campaigns have included sales of chicken-scented yule logs, clogs, and edible chicken-flavored nail polish.
KFC, like a lot of eateries, has been hit real hard by the virus. In March it temporarily closed down dining rooms and asked that customers instead use delivery and drive-thrus. It also put in Plexiglas counter-top shields to separate customers and employees. And it requires that its workers undergo health screenings before work, while donning masks during their shifts.
CNN reports that KFC has had a resurgance in sales over the past few months after the period immediately preceding that was plagued with "absolutely horrendous foot traffic."
