KFC Pauses "Finger Lickin' Good" Slogan Due to Coronavirus

Life during a pandemic involves a lot of things being effectively paused, whether it’s dining indoors, attending sporting events in person or international travel. Perhaps the most unlikely example of a tradition paused by COVID-19 comes from the world of fast food.

At CNN, Jordan Valinsky reports that fast-food chain KFC has paused the use of its famous “finger lickin’ good” slogan. Catherine Tan-Gillespie, the company’s chief marketing officer, explained the changes via a statement.

“We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” Tan-Gillespie said.

While licking grease off your fingers does seem like an obvious health hazard today, CNN notes that public-health concerns may not be the primary motive for KFC’s change. As Valinsky writes:

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.

The CNN report points out that KFC’s business has been good after a slow start to the year. The appeal of comfort food during a stressful time is easy to understand, after all.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…