The ad will not be banned, despite the complaints from 1,671 people worried that it would encourage bad table manners. The ad escapes a ban after KFC argued that it was meant to be funny.
The ad beats the previously most complained about list of ads including Saatchi & Saatchi's ad for Mr Kipling's featuring a church hall nativity play, which attracted 806 complaints, and the Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO Wrigley's Xcite chewing gum spot, which showed a man regurgitating a dog and became the most complained about ad with more than 600 complaints two years ago.
The Advertising Standards Authority has found that the KFC ad is not in breach of the advertising code.
In its ruling, the ASA said: "Once taught good table manners, children would be unlikely to adversely change their behaviour by watching this commercial."
The ad was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty and shows three women who work in a call centre, eating the Zinger Chicken Salad and singing at the same time.
It is not the first time that the fast-food chain has landed itself in trouble with the ASA. At the beginning of April the authority banned another ad made by BBH for KFC's Mini Fillet chicken burger after it found that the burger shown in the ad was bigger than the actual product.
The ASA is dealing with an increasing number of ads drawing hundreds of complaints. These include the Crazy Frog ringtone ad, which the ASA is powerless to ban because the majority of the 400 complaints say that the ad is irritating, which is not in breach of the advertising code.
Other ads with a high volume of complaints include HHCL/Red Cell's "Pot Noodle horn", which was cleared despite 620 complaints, many from people concerned at the sexual imagery.
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