KFC has appointed Mindshare as its new UK media-buying agency after a competitive pitch.

Mindshare replaces KFC’s incumbent agency, Blue 449, who has worked with the food brand for over 15 years.

Zenith, The7stars and Wavemaker also pitched for the account.

Meg Farren, CMO of KFC in UK & Ireland, said: “Our partnership with Blue449 over the years is something we are all incredibly grateful for.

It has been hugely successful and that it lasted over 15 years is testament to how well we have worked together.

We can’t wait to work with Mindshare and are hopeful for an equally long and fruitful partnership.”

She said that Mindshare, which has a network of 9,300 people across 86 countries, was the “best placed agency to help us navigate the changing media environment as we head into the next stage of our growth”.

Jem Lloyd-Williams, CEO of Mindshare UK, added:

“From the moment we received the brief, to chemistry, to pitch and then hearing that we won, we have wanted to work with KFC more and more. We are super excited about helping Meg, Jack and the team deliver ever better work in 2020 and beyond.

We’re very proud to say we now work with KFC.”