KFC has named MullenLowe as its U.S creative agency of record following a hotly-contested review that began in September. New York-based Fig was believed to be the other finalist in the pitch, which was conducted by Select Resources International and was winnowed down from a range of agencies that included Johannes Leonardo, FCB and Arnold. Wieden+Kennedy previously held the account since 2018.
KFC confirmed the win. MullenLowe and Fig weren’t immediately available for comment.
This news comes a month after Publicis' Spark Foundry was named KFC’s lead media agency following a separate review that included WPP’s Wavemaker along with Interpublic Group of Cos.' UM.
The U.S. is a critical piece of the chicken chain's overall business, accounting for 18% of KFC’s sales in 2020. It ranks just behind China, its largest market, with 27% of sales. The Yum Brand chain's U.S. systemwide sales are on the rise: They increased 11% in the first six months of 2021, while same-store sales, a key metric that tracks performance at longstanding locations, rose 12%. Third-quarter U.S. same-store sales rose 4%.