KFC has at long last confirmed it has pulled the plug in its “Finger Lickin’ Good” ad campaign, two days after Decision Marketing ran a “world exclusive” that the ads had already been hauled off the TV and replaced with previous activity due to coronavirus concerns.
The TV work , devised by Mother, was launched just over a fortnight ago and was supported by online and outdoor executions. Media has been handled by Mindshare.
Earlier this week, Decision Marketing reported that the TV ads had already been replaced by a reprise of the Godfather-inspired Chicken Town, which follows “the Colonel” being driven down a typical UK high street in a red sedan, surveying the host of pretenders to the KFC throne.
It is not known how many posters will need to be ripped down, although the online activity has already disappeared.
When contacted earlier this week about the ads – which feature a host of customers licking their fingers in time to Chopin’s Nocturne op. 9 No 2 – a KFC spokesperson said: “Our marketing team are aware of the dislike and concern with our ad, and this is being handled by them.”
It has now emerged that the Advertising Standards Authority has received more than 160 complaints about the campaign, although a full-blown investigation seems unlikely.
In a statement, KFC confirmed it has now scrapped all activity. It said: “It doesn’t feel like the right time to be airing this campaign, so we’ve decided to pause it for now – but we’re really proud of it and look forward to bringing it back at a later date.”
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