• by Teresa Buyikian , 5 hours ago

You can’t lick your fingers if you don’t have any left to lick. That’s the takeaway from KFC’s latest Fourth of July-themed ad, which is a collaboration with Johnny Knoxville and the last installment of the Jackass franchise, “Jackass: Best and Last.”

According to the brand, one out of every three firework injuries affects fingers and hands, per a recent US Consumer Product & Safety Commission report.

Filmed as a sort of irreverent public service announcement, the spot stars Knoxville describing how customers can keep their fingers safe this Independence day, while only somewhat heeding his own advice.

Seen here, the spot opens on Knoxville seated behind a desk within a highly flammable field of grass. “Fingers. You need them for lots of things: pointing, making promises, and telling other people what you think of them. But most importantly, enjoying finger-licking good KFC chicken,” says Knoxville as he walks through field carrying a bucket of KFC.

“KFC wants to make sure your fingers make it to July 5th. So, here's some advice from a fella who knows” he notes, warning viewers not to light fireworks in dry grass or inside an RV, as a motor home parked behind him in the dry grass field almost explodes. “Light one firework at a time, and keep your fingers every time,” he adds as he lights a gigantic, oversized rocket.

“The only way to make it finger-licking good is to make sure you still have fingers to lick,” he concludes, as a super touts the brand’s Independence Day $15 12-piece bucket deal.

“The Fourth of July is one of the biggest moments of the summer, and with millions of Americans celebrating outdoors, we wanted to deliver an important safety reminder in a way people would actually remember,” a KFC spokesperson told Marketing Daily. “Partnering with ‘Jackass: Best and Last’ allowed us to transform a traditional PSA into something unexpected, entertaining and unmistakably ownable to KFC.”

The ad, created with Highdive and directed by “Jackass” co-creator, director and producer Jeff Tremaine, runs across digital and paid social through July 5.