Advertising Age reported Yum! Brands shifted Taco Bell and Pizza Hut assignments across its roster of White advertising agencies. The fast-food corporation regularly moves account work, seeking sales increases that no shop seems capable of sustaining.
Perhaps Americanized tacos and pizza simply aren’t appealing.
“We are partnering with VML to consolidate our TV creative alongside social, CRM, and loyalty as a strategic imperative essential to our brand growth agenda,” stated Pizza Hut’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer. “We are laser-focused on selling pizza and wings while feeding good times and connecting people through the joy of pizza. To truly own that space, it’s critical that, in partnership with VML, we deliver a cohesive, integrated, and consistent experience across every consumer touchpoint.”
The statement deserves a single-word response: Yuck!
Big creative agency changes at Yum Brands—Deutsch gets a smaller role with Taco Bell and VML wins Pizza Hut
By Brian Bonilla, Erika Wheless, and Ewan Larkin
Yum Brands is making key agency changes for two of its biggest brands—Taco Bell and Pizza Hut—diminishing Deutsch’s creative role on Taco Bell and removing the agency from the pizza chain’s roster.
Pizza Hut confirmed to Ad Age that it has consolidated all of its U.S. creative duties with VML. Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch had been named the pizza chain’s lead creative agency last year.
“We are partnering with VML to consolidate our TV creative alongside social, CRM, and loyalty as a strategic imperative essential to our brand growth agenda,” Melissa Friebe, Pizza Hut’s U.S. chief marketing officer, wrote in a statement. “We are laser-focused on selling pizza and wings while feeding good times and connecting people through the joy of pizza. To truly own that space, it’s critical that, in partnership with VML, we deliver a cohesive, integrated, and consistent experience across every consumer touchpoint.”
WPP’s VML was initially added to the Pizza Hut roster last year to handle customer promotions, loyalty and CRM efforts.
Deutsch was hired by Pizza Hut in November 2024 after the agency successfully rolled out its “Sorry, Chicago” campaign for the chain’s Chicago tavern-style pizza.
VML referred the comments to the client. Deutsch didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
Changes at Taco Bell
Deutsch’s role with Taco Bell is also shrinking, according to three sources close to the situation.
Taco Bell did not confirm or deny roster changes, commenting: “Across the globe, Taco Bell taps a wide network of agencies that includes Deutsch, Biite, Edelman, Wasserman, Spark, and The Syndicate to bring its creative vision to life. At times, the brand also draws on specialized partners with specific expertise for special assignments or projects.”
In an earlier interview, Taylor Montgomery, Taco Bell’s global chief brand officer and former U.S. CMO, told Ad Age that the brand was looking to “make sure that some of the key brand narrative—our brand equity and positioning and our brand design—is all coming from a very consistent place. And that’s a combination of our partners at Deutsch and then our internal creative agency.”
Deutsch’s remit is currently unclear and the agency did not return multiple requests for comment.
Food culture agency Biite has become a “main agency” within the Taco Bell roster, Guto Araki, Biite’s founder told Ad Age. Biite has been taking on more of Taco Bell’s business over the last two years that had earlier been handled by Deutsch. Just last week, Biite launched a campaign introducing the chain’s new crispy chicken menu.
The agency was behind the 2024 “Live Más Live,” Taco Bell’s first tech-style keynote, and produced this year’s Taco Bell Super Bowl ad that featured its fans in drive-thrus.
Notably, Araki worked with Deutsch (then known as Deutsch LA) in multiple lead creative roles from 2015 to 2022. He also worked on Taco Bell’s first global campaign in 2021.
The moves mark the latest agency changes made by Yum Brands. Its largest chain, KFC, shifted to an agency roster approach in 2024, adding Highdive, which has been behind that chain’s latest work, including its chicken tender battle and a recent spot featuring an angry Colonel Sanders. IPG agency MullenLowe had previously handled KFC’s U.S. creative.
The shifts come as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut look to grow internationally and draw back consumers, respectively.
Taco Bell has been a bright spot in a fast-food environment where consumers are cutting back on dining out. The chain reported its U.S. same-store sales were up 4% in the second quarter. Taco Bell is currently rounding out its Decades Menu, which has brought back favorites from previous years, with menus today featuring items from the early 2000s.
In his interview, Montgomery said that in 2026 the chain is planning to highlight more occasions where it can show up for consumers, as well as continuing to focus on crispy chicken and its drink concept, Live Más Café. Taco Bell is also looking to nearly double its number of international locations to 3,000 by 2030.
Sibling brand Pizza Hut has been struggling in the pizza category, with second-quarter same-store sales down 5% in the U.S., pacing well behind rivals Domino’s (up 3.4%) and Papa Johns (up 1% in North America). Friebe—who came to Pizza Hut after many years at Taco Bell—has been with the pizza brand for a little over a year.
Pizza Hut recently rolled out a new all-red logo featuring oozing Zs, a look that divided designers; current ads are for the brand’s personal Flatzz pizzas and its Big Dinner Box to feed a crowd.
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