PHD resigned the account in April after the pizza chain announced its second review in as many years. The latest review, conducted by retail marketing director Simon Wallis, came after his predecessor, James O'Reilly, left to become vice-president for marketing at sister company KFC in the US. Wallis replaced O'Reilly at the end of last year.
PHD was unhappy at being asked to repitch just two years after it had defended the business in a pitch against Zenith Media. The media agency claimed Pizza Hut had not encouraged a client/agency relationship based on an equal footing.
This week, Ofcom ruled that Pizza Hut had misled the public with a TV ad claiming to offer free pizzas if they were not delivered hot and on time. The ad omitted to say that the guarantee was limited to one pizza per order and had to be accompanied by a new order costing at least £7.99.
Ofcom ordered Pizza Hut and its ad agency, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, not to repeat the ad.
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