KFC ad prompts outrage for allegedly promoting cultism, mocking baptism

An ad from KFC that debuted in the United Kingdom and Ireland earlier this month has prompted hundreds of complaints for depicting what some have interpreted as a mockery of Christian baptism and glamorizing of cultish behavior.

The two-minute ad titled "Believe Part 2 All Hail the Gravy," which can be viewed on YouTube, depicts a young man walking through the woods when he stumbles across a chicken. He then encounters a group of people carrying a giant golden egg toward a lake of gravy.

A female character then carries the man into the lake, where she dunks him in what appears to be an initiation ceremony before he emerges reborn as a fried KFC Mini Fillet.

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As of Monday, the ad has reportedly prompted nearly 600 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, the U.K.'s independent advertising regulator.

According to DecisionMarketing, a U.K.-based news site about advertising, the reason for the complaints about the KFC ad varied, with some alleging it was disturbing for children to see a man apparently drowned, while others were offended that the ad appeared to make light of baptism.

"We’re currently assessing these to establish whether there are grounds for further action, but just to be clear, we’ve not launched an investigation at this stage," a spokesperson for ASA told the outlet.

Users on the marketing news site Marketing/Beat expressed disgust at the ad, with some calling it "disgusting," a "disgrace" and "beyond the pale." One user accused the ad of featuring and implying "many suspect attitudes, cultism, cannibalism, grooming[.]"

An official press release promoting the ad from KFC UKI described it as "an odyssey through the mystical woodland." It noted the large golden egg symbolized a "guiding light and provides the captivating beat for the choreographed procession of Believers, which is set to an original track."

“The narrative builds to a climax, capturing the anticipation as one of the Believers is immersed in a pool of liquid gold gravy and emerges as a perfectly crispy KFC Mini Fillet above the shimmering gravy lake, to the cheers of the crowd." 

“The modern-day fable explores the strong connection KFC fans have with the Original Recipe Chicken and a true cult favorite: the freshly made gravy.”

Monica Silic, chief marketing officer of KFC U.K. and Ireland, said the ad campaign is an attempt to "bring an entertaining antidote to this dull, chaotic world," according to Adweek.

"This is about inspiring the fandom. We’re clear on having a role in culture, which is to bring some lightness and levity to the chaotic world through the truth of our product," she said.