HONG KONG — It's a common joke to say that an unfamiliar food tastes like chicken. But now a new nail polish literally tastes like chicken.
KFC recently introduced an edible nail polish to its Hong Kong market.
The product, created by marketing firm Ogilvy & Mather and food technologists from McCormick, comes in two flavors -- Original and Hot & Spicy. Original is a gold beige color and Hot & Spicy is a shade of orange red.
According to KFC, the nail polish is applied like regular nail polish but is "sourced from natural ingredients" and can be safely licked. In fact, the company says the nail polish is "finger lickin' good."
"Yes, it is actually a real thing," said Anna Mugglestone, marketing and communications director for Ogilvy & Mather. "I tried it myself in the office when they were doing testing. It tastes like chicken. It’s crazy. I don’t know how they do it."
"The recipe for our edible nail polish is unique and was specifically designed to hold the flavor, but to also dry with a glossy coat similar to normal nail polish," Ogilvy creative director John Kay told Adweek. "This campaign is designed to be intriguing and fun (and) to increase excitement around the KFC brand in Hong Kong."
Mugglestone said the nail polish is a way "to remind the younger generation (of ) the great taste and good times the brand stands for."
"(The Original color) is actually pretty cute for spring if, you know, it didn't taste like fried chicken," said one writer at Glamour magazine.
KFC is running an ad campaign in Hong Kong to ask customers which flavor should be mass produced.