In the company’s latest attempt to further engage with their core customer base, KFC has introduced something inspired, something bold, something that is worth your attention — and no, I’m not talking about the successor to the Double Down chicken sandwich; instead, the subject at hand is nail polish, delicious, chicken-flavored nail polish.
Conceived as part of Hong Kong’s newest and curiously innovative marketing campaign, the nail polish advertised as being “finger lickin’ good” has left many with questions.
The skeptics of such an idea can’t help but ask, “Why? Why would a company do such a thing?” while believers of the campaign jump right to the burning question of, “What flavors does this nail polish come in and when can I make it part of my daily routine?”
Both are important questions.
When talking to the New York Times, Anna Mugglestone, the marketing and communications director for Ogilvy & Mather Group (the advertising agency behind the campaign) emphasized that the intent behind the brand’s chicken-flavored nail polish is “to remind the younger generation” of “the great taste and good times the brand stands for.”
“Yes, it is actually a real thing,” she said. “I tried it myself in the office when they were doing the testing. It tastes like chicken. I don’t know how they do it.”
But how do they do it?
The polish is made in partnership with McCormick & Company, the aggregation behind the production of KFC’s famously signature mixture of spices.
Due to either a lack of curiosity or simply waters that have yet to be treaded, it is unclear how the company infuses KFC’s fusion of spices into something as streamlined as nail polish, and for all I know this secret may remain as unknown and potentially guarded as the recipe for the Colonel’s blend of herbs and spices itself.
So, what flavors will be available in limited edition form and when can people begin having the delicious taste of the Colonel’s chicken on their finger tips?
As of now, the company has only introduced two flavors in Hong Kong: "Original" and "Hot and Spicy." Other potential flavors are on the horizon, assuming this consumerist experiment (let’s be honest, that’s what it is) pans out as KFC hopes.
The chicken-flavored nail polish is only available in Hong Kong at the moment, but assuming it takes off, the nail polish has potential to become something that is available in other countries, the United States hopefully one of them.
The goal behind this caliber of an idea, an idea that must have come about in the throes of a fever dream, must be to spread interest and intrigue in the KFC brand, two things that have certainly been accomplished since the announcement of the company’s chicken-flavored nail polish.
But such a concept also inspires confusion because it presents the potential reality of chicken enthusiasts alike and unalike continuing their daily routine as usual, only with the newfound habit of constantly sucking on their fingertips.
This nail polish introduces a platform of human existence that is on the bottom most rung of a low-stakes dystopian future, a future where deciding what will be for lunch could be determined by sampling one’s own fingertips and making the decision if it would be best to have fried chicken, Italian or Mediterranean food for the day — the possibilities are limitless, and the potential for these possibilities is an alarming thing.
As mentioned in a study published by Queen Mary University of London, 1 out of 5 people don’t wash their hands following a trip to the restroom, and those who do wash their hands have a tendency of using only 30 percent of the recommended soap distribution, meaning that significant portions of all things toilet related are left on the hands and fingertips of most individuals. So introducing chicken-flavored nail polish designed with the intent of having people sucking on their fingers isn’t an innovation for society, but could instead be a step backward in hygiene.
The idea of people casually shoving fingers in their mouths and sampling a taste of what could be for lunch that day, alongside a variety of other things that they have likely touched previously, is an almost cringe-inducing concept — sorry, it is a cringe-inducing concept.
If this chicken-flavored nail polish concept was to succeed not only in Hong Kong but also on an international level, what does it say about the human race? That we simply no longer care what we shove in our mouths? All for the taste of the Colonel's fried chicken.
Image: KFC
