Monica Pool will become CMO of KFC UK and Ireland in autumn 2023. She is no stranger to the brand, having originally joined in 2009, working at the fast-food chain for over 10 years before joining Taco Bell as marketing director.
KFC’s UK general manager Meghan Farren says she is thankful to have “fresh eyes” on the business, having left her CMO position in 2021 to join Asda as chief customer officer, only to return a year later in her current role.
KFC says the appointment represents it commitment towards integrating ESG into its core marketing strategy, as former CMO Jack Hinchliffe makes an internal move into sister brand The Habit Burger Grill.
Hinchliffe was promoted to UK CMO in July 2021 following the departure of Meghan Farren. His departure comes after more than eight years with the brand.
Yum! Brands’ net sales increased 7% to $2bn (£1.7bn) in its fourth quarter, while global same-store sales increased 6%.
From stuck in a rut in 2017 to attracting 15 million new customers by 2021, KFC invested in a long-term brand platform designed to engage and excite the entire business from the CEO to franchisees.
Pizza Hut and KFC owner Yum! Brands says it is feeling the impact of inflation more in the UK than in other European markets, with both brands seeing a decline in sales.
As the economy continues to hang in the balance, should brands focus on growing their appeal to new consumers or rewarding existing customers?
Taco Bell saw strong international system sales growth of 31% during the second quarter. On the other hand, KFC sales faltered in the UK, declining 8%.
KFC has also returned to the ranking of the world’s most valuable brands having both been absent in 2020.
Meghan Farren left KFC last year to become Asda’s chief customer officer but will return to the fast food chain in the autumn.
Managing director of Marketing Week’s 2021 Brand of the Year, Paula MacKenzie outlines why strategic, undeniable and fame-generating ideas help KFC attain higher levels of creativity.
Amid a global crisis, KFC saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to flaunt its slogan in a way that would boost word of mouth by over 3,800%.
KFC has hired Tesco’s membership and loyalty lead as its new UK marketing director, working with UK CMO Jack Hinchliffe.
Like rival fast food chain Burger King, Yum! Brands is banking on technology and digital sales to drive the future growth of its brands.