To lick or not to lick...
9 June 2008, 09:50
Fast-food franchise Chicken Licken has had its wings clipped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for "disparaging" Colonel Sanders, the icon of rival Kentucky Fried Chicken, in a television advertisement.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement, which features a character resembling Colonel Sanders in a US Civil War uniform, should be withdrawn immediately.
Advertising agency Ogilvy, representing KFC, were in a flap about Chicken Licken's tag line "You won't just lick your lips, you'll be licking your whole hand" which it said was too similar to KFC's popular slogan of "finger lickin' good".
Chicken Licken's advert for its "hot wings" advertisement starts with a presenter saying: "Howdy, we got a letter from the Colonel's son."
The boy then says: "My daddy makes me eat the same thing every day, when all I want is to try some hot wings."
It ends with presenters saying: "This here chicken is the tastiest in the land. You won't just lick your fingers, you'll be licking your whole hand."
The complaint ruffled the feathers of Net#work BBDO who crafted the advertisement for Chicken Licken. The agency said in its response to the ASA that its statements did not attack or discredit KFC.
"No reference is made to KFC and the pejorative wording is completely neutral in nature. The boy could be referring to any type of food."
However, the ASA said that Colonel Sanders was indeed iconic to KFC and the claim that Chicken Licken was more than finger licking good was a jab at KFC.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement disparaged KFC and was therefore in breach of the advertising code.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement, which features a character resembling Colonel Sanders in a US Civil War uniform, should be withdrawn immediately.
Advertising agency Ogilvy, representing KFC, were in a flap about Chicken Licken's tag line "You won't just lick your lips, you'll be licking your whole hand" which it said was too similar to KFC's popular slogan of "finger lickin' good".
Chicken Licken's advert for its "hot wings" advertisement starts with a presenter saying: "Howdy, we got a letter from the Colonel's son."
The boy then says: "My daddy makes me eat the same thing every day, when all I want is to try some hot wings."
It ends with presenters saying: "This here chicken is the tastiest in the land. You won't just lick your fingers, you'll be licking your whole hand."
The complaint ruffled the feathers of Net#work BBDO who crafted the advertisement for Chicken Licken. The agency said in its response to the ASA that its statements did not attack or discredit KFC.
"No reference is made to KFC and the pejorative wording is completely neutral in nature. The boy could be referring to any type of food."
However, the ASA said that Colonel Sanders was indeed iconic to KFC and the claim that Chicken Licken was more than finger licking good was a jab at KFC.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement disparaged KFC and was therefore in breach of the advertising code.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of The Cape Times on June 09, 2008
Cape Town
