KFC pauses finger-licking campaign amid coronavirus concerns

KFC has paused its UK "Piano" campaign just two weeks after its launch, following growing concerns surrounding the spread of coronavirus.

Created by Mother London, the spot shows people eating KFC’s signature chicken before licking their fingers. The tagline is: "It’s good."

The work launched at the end of last month (24 February), with the campaign set to include out-of-home activity. It was directed by Nicolai Fuglsig through MJZ.

A KFC spokesperson 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."

The Advertising Standards Authority said 163 people complained about the spot as it "encourages behaviour that might increase the chances of coronavirus spreading".

"We have been in touch with KFC, who had already taken the decision to withdraw the ad before we had informed them of the complaints. On that basis, we won’t be taking any further action on this occasion," an ASA spokesman said.