Wieden+Kennedy Confirms It Will Part Ways With KFC

Wieden+Kennedy Portland, which resurrected and reimagined Colonel Sanders across a wide array of ads for KFC, is ending its relationship with the brand after seven years together. The agency today confirmed to Adweek that it is no longer involved in the pitch to continue as the fast food chain’s U.S. creative and media agency. "We had such a great seven years working with this brand. The work we did together changed them and changed us," a spokesperson for Wieden+Kennedy told Adweek. "Thank you to all of the people who were part of this chapter." When asked for comment about the status of the pitch and its remaining agencies, a KFC spokesperson said in an email: "In September, we announced that our creative and media business would be up for review. That process remains ongoing.” Yum! Brands, the parent company for KFC, told Adweek in September that it informed W+K Portland that it was putting the KFC U.S. creative and media business up for review, but that the agency would have a chance to defend the business. “Since 2015, W+K has been a valuable part of our brand turnaround, creating memorable campaigns that grew brand consideration and sales. We are proud of what we have achieved together,” the brand said at the time. This week, Business Insider reported that Havas' Arnold, IPG's FCB and MullenLowe, WPP affiliate Johannes Leonardo, and independent agency FIG are still in the running for the creative business. WPP's Wavemaker, Publicis' Spark Foundry and IPG's UM are reportedly finalists for the media business. KFC recently hired former Nintendo executive Nick Chavez as its new chief marketing officer, taking over for CMO Andrea Zahumensky, who left the brand in April after spending about 3.5 years in the role. From FCB to W+K Wieden+Kennedy won the KFC creative business in 2015, taking over the account from FCB, which had worked with the brand starting in 2003. BBDO New York held the business before FCB. In 2018, Yum! Brands appointed Wieden+Kennedy as media agency of record for KFC, handing over its $234 million account and consolidating its domestic creative and media duties with the agency. Over their seven years together, Wieden+Kennedy and KFC put out award-winning and buzz-worthy work for the brand, including featuring a rotating cast of celebrity Colonels, ranging from Reba McEntire and Norm Macdonald to George Hamilton and Jason Alexander. However, as the fast food industry was engulfed in 2019 by a chicken sandwich war, with almost every chain racing to claim market share after the explosive popularity of Popeyes' new sandwich, KFC seemed somewhat slow to respond. It took the famed chicken brand almost 18 months to launch a direct competitor to the Popeyes sandwich, with KFC finally adding its new chicken sandwich to menus nationwide in January 2021. KFC Names Nintendo Executive Nick Chavez Chief Marketing Officer