While CEO at Taco Bell, he oversaw the launch of Doritos Locos Tacos, which at the time, was heralded as one of the chain’s most successful new product launches. (Nacho Fries later dethroned DLT). Prior to the launch, Creed noticed tacos weren’t “particularly full” across the organization. He called for all tacos to be more than 90% full. He said he wouldn’t launch DLT until that “obsession metric” was met.

 “Everyone thought I was crazy,” Creed told NRN. “But again, it goes back to being focused. We dramatically improved how full the tacos were. And then we launched the Doritos Locos Tacos, which was a huge success.”

In 2012, Creed altered how fans think of Taco Bell. The company, known for its cheap eats, shifted from a “food as fuel” chain to a “food as experience” brand. That led to rogue marketing campaigns. Creed encouraged a rule-breaking Super Bowl commercial spotlighting the brand’s new “Live Mas” slogan. It featured rowdy retirement-home seniors pulling an all-nighter and binge eating Taco Bell. The “Live Mas” ad was all in Spanish, and twice the length of a normal 30-second Super Bowl commercial. It underscored Taco Bell’s reputation as a culture-driven brand, paving the way for many more edgy campaigns from Creed and his successors.

At Yum, he executed the 2016 spinoff of Yum China and led a major refranchising effort across the company’s portfolio. Roughly 98% of the company is now franchised, compared to 77% in October 2016. 

With the delivery race reaching intense levels, Yum made the bold move in early 2018 to invest $200 million in third-party delivery operator Grubhub. Having an investment stake meant Yum could negotiate better economics for its franchisees to ensure success.