DraftFCB wins Pizza Hut biz in Thailand

BANGKOK BBDO has relinquished control of its long-held 140 million baht (US$4 million) Pizza Hut account, which was awarded to DraftFCB, which handles Taco Bell and KFC - also owned by Yum Brands - in other markets.

BBDO was invited to contest a statutory review but, according to a Pizza Hut spokesperson, declined to pitch because "the agency no longer had the resources to support the account".

The agency claimed the account was no longer big enough to justify servicing, while non-BBDO sources claim the agency had clashed with the client over strategy.

Also believed to have been in the running were Ogilvy & Mather, Idea Avenue and Y&R. MindShare, which handles Pizza Hut's media planning and buying in Thailand, was unaffected by the review.

Pizza Hut's advertising spend in Thailand dropped 17 per cent between 2005 and 2006, with an increasing focus on outdoor and magazines at the expense of television.

BBDO also handles Pizza Hut in the Philippines and Singapore.

Pizza Hut concluded a seven-month review of its creative agencies in Singapore and Malaysia in September last year.  The business was awarded to the incumbents, BBDO Singapore and Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia.

Pizza Hut Thailand, owned and managed by Yum Restaurants International, operates 75 outlets in the country.