KFC has suspended a “finger lickin’ good” advertising campaign due to coronavirus outbreak.

The KFC television campaign, which was launched in late February, featured a variety of people sucking on their fingers after eating chicken.

A KFC spokesperson said that the company did not feel it was “the right time” to allow the campaign to air.

“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 spokesperson said.

“It’s also worth noting that in previous coverage, the ASA have acknowledged our decision within their own statement.”

A spokesperson for the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed with The Independent that it received 163 complaints regarding the KFC campaign.

However, upon contacting KFC about the complaints, the ASA learnt that the chain restaurant had already made the decision to suspend the promotion, and so it was deemed that no formal ruling was necessary.