Dive Brief:

• KFC Corporation has named Andrea Zahumensky as chief marketing officer of its U.S. operations, per a company press release. She will assume her new role on Dec. 4, taking over responsibilities previously handled by Kevin Hochman, who was promoted to president and chief concept officer of KFC U.S. in March.
• Zahumensky will lead marketing, advertising, media and consumer insights, the brand's digital initiatives and will be responsible for developing and executing innovative marketing strategies to build on KFC's U.S. brand turnaround.
• Zahumensky previously spent 20 years with Procter & Gamble, most recently serving as brand director for the CPG's Baby Care business in North America. Her track record at P&G included connecting with millennial moms through the Pampers brand; serving as a leader in the oral care division after P&G acquired Oral-B; leading a turnaround for Crest and also spearheading geographic expansion into more than 30 new international markets.

Dive Insight:

It will be interesting to see the new directions Zahumensky takes KFC's marketing strategy in as it has, of late, leaned heavily on brand mascot Colonel Harland Sanders. In celebration of its 75th anniversary in 2015, KFC resurrected Sanders in its advertising after well over a decade, with a variety of actors, comedians and even WWE notables portraying the character on TV and digital channels. 

Zahumensky brings a lot of experience over from P&G that might help further sharpen the fast food brand's marketing strategy when catering to some key audiences. Her work courting millennial moms for Pampers feels especially relevant, as mothers are one of KFC's biggest buyers — Mother's Day is its best-selling day of the year — and yet many on the younger end of the spectrum appear to be favoring healthier, more natural eating alternatives for their families.  

The release calling out Zahumensky's responsibilities with digital initiatives and innovation will be another area to watch. Beyond KFC's purely consumer-facing marketing, the brand has dabbled with some bleeding edge technology in other areas. In August, it started training employees through escape-the-room style virtual reality experiences, pointing to enterprise applications of the technology. 

KFC, which falls under the Yum Brands Inc. banner along with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, this week posted better-than-expected financial results for the third quarter, according to the Associated Press.