KFC has awarded its U.S. media business to Publicis Groupe’s Spark Foundry, severing the company’s relationship with incumbent Wieden+Kennedy after a media review announced last September that led to several holding companies vying for the account.
Spark Foundry will manage advertising, media planning and buying for the brand across all channels, including social media. The brand’s U.S. media spend is $166 million and $50 million of that is digital, according to COMvergence.
The review, announced last September and led by SRI Consulting, initially included the incumbent—independent agency Wieden+Kennedy—as well as Publicis’ Spark Foundry, IPG’s UM and WPP’s Wavemaker. W+K confirmed to Adweek in November that it was no longer involved in the review.
“During the review, the Spark Foundry team delivered unique insights about our current and future audiences and how KFC can better use its media to connect and engage with them,” said Nick Chavez, chief marketing officer of KFC U.S., in a statement. “We were impressed by the talented Spark Foundry team that will now guide our business and help unlock next-level growth for the KFC brand.”
In the past year, Spark Foundry has come out on top of some of the biggest media reviews in the industry. In December, the agency won Meta’s highly-coveted business.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to bring our heat to KFC,” said Sarah Kramer, chief executive officer of Spark Foundry. “We look forward to working closely with the KFC team to achieve continued growth by providing data-led insights, cultural understanding and performance capabilities.”
Revamping the brand
In 2015, KFC began its relationship with W+K, later transferring its media account to the agency in 2018. With W+K, KFC revamped its brand, producing suggestive ads for the brand that included the branded film “A Recipe for Seduction,” starring Mario Lopez as Colonel Sanders.
The company’s relationship with Spark Foundry marks an end to that era. The brand chose the Publicis agency for its data chops and deep connection to audiences combined with its knowledge of the QSR category, KFC said in a statement.
KFC aims to continue its rebrand, having recently hired Chavez, a former Nintendo executive, to take over as its CMO. The company’s same-store sales grew 4% during the quarter ending Sept. 30 last year, and sales increased 13% on a two-year basis.
Spark Foundry’s win puts all of KFC’s parent company, Yum Brands’, divisions under one roof. The agency also manages media for Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
Of Yum Brand’s businesses, KFC grew the most in Q3, with worldwide system sales up 11% compared to Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, whose sales rose 8 and 4%, respectively. KFC accounts for 52% of Yum Brands’ business.
UM and Wavemaker had no comment before the time of this story’s publication.
