KFC faces backlash over its ‘finger lickin’ Ad campaign amid coronavirus pandemic

New Delhi Mar 15: For the chicken lovers, now its not time to be finger lickin' good. As the coronavirus pandemic has gripped people across the world, (Kentucky Fried Chicken) KFC has suspended advertisements using the brand's classic "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan that had just started running in the UK.

The international chicken chain faced backlash after Advertising Standards Authority reportedly received multiple complaints concerning a new ad that launched two weeks ago.

According to reports, the ASA received 163 complaints from viewers after the ad debuted on television.

The commercial, called 'Piano', launched two weeks ago showed multiple people licking their fingers while eating in public places.

At time when the health officials are advising people to stay hygienic as much as possible to curb the coronavirus spread, the Complaints called the ad 'irresponsible' as it potentially 'encourages behaviour that might increase the chances of coronavirus spreading'.

The ASA received around 163 complaints from viewers after the ad debuted on TV. But they also confirmed that formal action against KFC was not required as the fast-food chain stated that they had already decided to halt the ad.

The commercial called "Piano," showed people licking their fingers while eating the brand's chicken in public places. After receiving the complaints, the brand temporarily took down its classic slogan.

Meanwhile, the KFC noted that they are proud of their finger-lickin' campaign however it is not the right time to be airing this campaign.

"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," a spokesperson was quoted in media reports.

Not only KFC, Coors Light and Hershey have also cancelled ads that showed people hugging each other or poking fun at working from home.

Coronavirus pandemic has infected 140,000, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China.