KFC is to pause the use of its classic Finger Lickin’ Good slogan after 64 years as it admitted that the message “doesn’t quite fit” following the coronavirus outbreak.

The company has released new images of advertising posters and packaging with the well-known slogan blurred and pixelated.

It said the slogan will return “when the time is right” but it will shift its messaging in the meantime.

The restaurant chain closed its sites temporarily in March as a result of the pandemic but has now reopened the majority of its restaurants with more stringent health and safety policies in place.

“We find ourselves in a unique situation – having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” said Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC.

“While we are pausing the use of It’s Finger Lickin’ Good, rest assured the food craved by so many people around the world isn’t changing one bit.”

The chain has more than 900 restaurants across the UK and Ireland and employs 27,000 staff.

Kate Wall, head of advertising at KFC UK and Ireland, said: “People often say that it’s the second movie that’s hardest to get right. The follow-up, the next step. And we are facing the same conundrum at the moment.

“How do you follow a slogan that’s lasted for 64 years and is as iconic as ours?

“Well, we know we can do it with a little help from our friends. And you’ll be hearing more from us on this soon.”