Yum! Brands Canada selects Wavemaker as new media agency of record

Appointment reflects company-wide digital transformation journey

VAUGHAN, ON, June 25, 2018 /CNW/ - Yum! Brands Canada, comprising KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, has selected Wavemaker as its new company-wide media agency responsible for all planning and buying. The scope of Wavemaker's work includes digital, programmatic, search, social, television, radio and out-of-home for all three brands. 

Yum! Brands Canada announced late in 2017 that it had begun a competitive search for a new media agency. Wavemaker emerged victorious, impressing the team culturally and with a clear vision on how to leverage data strategically to drive business value through media.    

On the KFC business, Wavemaker will support the brands larger digital transformation journey, which includes investments in delivery, e-commerce and technology capabilities together with a relentless focus on data to inform innovation and drive customer experience.

"KFC and Wavemaker meshed culturally and strategically from day one of the RFP process," said Samantha Redman, Chief Marketing Officer, KFC Canada. "Their approach to technology and data, the way they challenged us and inspired us, affirmed they are the right partner to help us through the next phase of our digital transformation."

In the last six years, Taco Bell Canada has achieved unprecedented growth – out-pacing the rest of the quick service restaurant category. The move to work with Wavemaker was a strategic decision to help maintain this impressive track record through precise targeting techniques and innovative media strategies. 

"Partnering with a cutting-edge media agency like Wavemaker will be instrumental to continuing our growth in Canada," said Veronica Castillo, Head of Marketing, Taco Bell Canada. "Staying one step ahead of Gen Z and Millennials with social and digital strategies allows us to break through the clutter in disruptive and unexpected ways. Wavemaker demonstrated the smarts and acumen to drive the Taco Bell brand forward, and we're very excited to begin working with them."

With the majority of media spending allocated to digital, Pizza Hut Canada continues to shift to an e-commerce and delivery-first brand. This includes launching innovative programs like "Hut Rewards", a new loyalty program, and a web-based deal bot to help customers find the best deal. Wavemaker will help Pizza Hut build deeper relationships with Canadians while also working to attract new audiences through targeted digital campaigns. 

"Right from our initial meeting, we were impressed with Wavemaker's perspective on the QSR category, their thought leadership and digital capabilities," said Jason Cassidy, Marketing Director, Pizza Hut Canada. "The chemistry was instant, and we're thrilled to have them at the table as a valued partner."

Wavemaker was founded in June 2017 as a merger between two GroupM networks, MEC and Maxus.

"We are incredibly pleased by this appointment," said Ann Stewart, CEO, Wavemaker Canada. "We've thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Yum! Brands Canada team as their culture and business approach are very similar to ours. Wavemaker Canada is ready to address all three brands' business objectives and surpass their success criteria."

Grip Limited will continue to lead creative for KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Canada and Edelman Canada will continue to provide communications services to the three brands.  

About Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over 45,000 restaurants in more than 135 countries and territories, including Canada and is one of the Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders in North America. In 2018, Yum! Brands was recognized as part of the inaugural Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and ranked among the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. In 2017, Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. The company's restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – are global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. Worldwide, the Yum! Brands system opens over seven new restaurants per day on average, making it a leader in global retail development.

About Wavemaker:

Founded January 2018, Wavemaker Canada is part of Wavemaker Global, a billion dollar-revenue media, content and technology agency, obsessed with the customer's purchase journey. Our WM Momentum, the world's most comprehensive study into how people make purchase decisions, includes insights from 350,000 surveys in 35 markets and across more than 70 categories. Our team includes more than 8,500 people in 90 countries all united through our focus on understanding, accelerating and optimizing purchase journeys; making them more satisfying for consumers and more effective for our clients. We are a part of GroupM, WPP's global media investment management company. For more information, go to www.wavemakerglobal.com

SOURCE Yum! Brands Canada

Media Contact: Alex Thomas, Yum! Brands Canada, [email protected], 416-617-4498; Eric Blais, Wavemaker Canada, [email protected], 416-987-9002