Fast-food giant KFC designates MullenLowe as its primary creative marketing agency.
KFC Announces New Creative Agency of Record: MullenLowe Boston
Fast-food giant KFC has announced a change in its creative agency, appointing MullenLowe Boston as its new creative agency of record. The announcement was made to Adweek, marking the end of a five-year partnership with Wieden+Kennedy.
MullenLowe Boston will be responsible for KFC's creative work, taking over from Wieden+Kennedy, who had been handling KFC's creative duties since 2015. The change comes after a comprehensive review process that involved several agencies, including indie agencies Fig and Johannes Leonardo, IPG’s MullenLowe and FCB, and Havas’ Arnold. MullenLowe and Fig made it to the final round of the creative review.
The decision to change agencies was driven by a need for a "bold reset" to address negative perceptions of KFC's food as "outdated" and "bland." This insight was gathered through approximately eight months of research and talks with both customers and non-customers.
The media agency of record has not been explicitly named in the provided search results. However, it is known that Highdive, a Chicago-based agency, won the creative agency role in late 2024. Highdive has recently opened a New York office dedicated initially to KFC work and has launched a multi-year brand campaign focused on revitalizing the chain's image amid market competition.
Highdive's strategy prominently features a new serious and gritty portrayal of Colonel Sanders, aiming to recapture the brand’s bold flavor reputation. The campaign developed after extensive consumer insights research, with the focus on a bold marketing comeback centered around Colonel Sanders.
This change in agency comes after KFC put its U.S. creative and media accounts under review in September 2022. In March 2023, Publicis Groupe's Spark Foundry was named as KFC's new media AOR.
For more details on KFC’s media agency partner or more about the media selection, additional sources would need to be consulted.
MullenLowe Boston will handle KFC's creative duties, focusing on revitalizing the fast-food chain's image, as they have been appointed the new creative agency of record following a comprehensive review process. In the realm of finance and business, this move is expected to positively impact KFC's marketing strategies, aiming for a "bold reset" and addressing negative perceptions of its food.
