A tattoo with the chain’s logo to get a voucher every ten days in restaurants in Modena, Reggio Emilia and Parma. All forever. KFC’s promotional initiative at Modena Nerd, the fair dedicated to comics and video games scheduled for 5 and 6 September, has reignited controversy in the city. The proposal, we read in a note from a few days ago, replicates that of last year, when around fifty people chose to have the symbols of the American brand imprinted on their skin in exchange for fried chicken for life.
Federconsumatori Modena has asked the Municipality and the Local Health Authority to stop the “Kfc Tattoo Experience”, as can be read on Modenatoday. According to the consumer protection association, the initiative represents an “unfair exchange between fried chicken and advertising tattoos” and raises health and hygiene concerns. The organization also requested the removal of the KFC stand from the fair program and raised questions about the regularity of the permits granted in the last edition. Cna Sanità e Benessere also intervened on the matter, urging rigorous compliance with the legislation governing the profession, to protect both public health and professional tattoo artists.
The controls
The Municipality of Modena, however, has made it known that the procedures for this year’s event are regular. The two tattoo artists hired by the brand sent Suap the certified notification of commencement of activity (Scia) and the documents necessary to work within the exhibition centre. As regards the previous edition, however, the administration specified that in 2025 the offices had not received any communication on the initiative, which was only learned through the press in recent days, and that from the checks carried out no documentation was found to have been filed.
This year’s party
Despite the political and inter-association clashes, the presence of the brand in the fair area includes various other promotional activities. These include digital gaming stations with QR codes, collections of Pokémon cards, limited edition mugs and the presence of a hologram of the company’s founder, the ‘mythological’ Colonel Sanders.
The structure also organized a private shuttle to connect the fair to the Viale Virgilio sales point and a closing evening event with a DJ set.