The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received 766 complaints about the controversial new KFC ad , but says there is “no need for an investigation” to see if it breaches the code of conduct.
Titled ‘All Hail Gravy’, the ad was developed by creative firm Mother, and depicts a man being baptised in a lake of gravy before transforming into a chicken nugget.
Viewers have contacted the watchdog saying it is “distressing for children to see”, as the man “is apparently drowned or deep-fried”, the ASA told Marketing Beat.
Complainants also believe the ad “promotes cannibalism” and “glorifies cults [or] satanism”. Others felt that it “mocks Christianity” and the practice of Baptism.
“At this current time, we’ve received more than 750 complaints about the KFC ad,” said a spokesperson for the ASA.
“The complaints we’ve received are quite varied.”
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The ASA initially said it was assessing the complaints “to establish whether there are grounds for further action”.
However, a spokesperson said: “The ASA council have assessed the ad against initial complaints made and agreed that on that basis, there is no need for an investigation. We’re still getting some complaints come in which all need to be assessed individually, but at this time, we won’t be investigating.”
The two-minute spot was posted on KFC’s UK and Ireland YouTube page on 14 March. The description reads: “Do you find yourself lost in the woods of modern life? Fear not, for salvation in sauce is near. Trust in the thumping sound of the golden egg. Trust in the liquid gold elixir. Trust in the divine dunk. And whisper the sacred words ‘All Hail Gravy’. Because there’s some things we can still believe in. Believe In Chicken.”
It is not the first time the fast-food chain has released an ad which has attracted complaints in the UK.
In 2017, KFC’s ad featuring a dancing chicken received 755 complaints, making it the most complained about advert of the year. It also topped the annual list in 2005 after it received 1,671 complaints for its Zinger Crunch Salad ad.
KFC and Mother were approached for comment.
