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MSL Runs Food and Beverage PR Inside Publicis

EPR Editorial TeamEPR Editorial Team3 min read
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msl operates public relations for food and drinks within publicis explained

Pillar: Food & Beverage Communications

Edited on Jun 28, 2026.

MSL — the flagship public relations agency of Publicis Groupe — has been one of the most active firms in food and beverage communications for over two decades. Originally built through the merger of Manning Selvage & Lee and Publicis Consultants, MSL today operates across more than 100 offices in 40 countries, with food and beverage among its core consumer practice areas alongside health and wellness, luxury, and corporate communications.

MSL is profiled in Everything-PR's PR Agency Directory as one of the leading global network agencies. In 2026, PRovoke Media named MSL one of its Global Agencies of the Year — recognition that reflects a firm that has rebuilt its standing after a difficult stretch in the 2010s. The U.S. operation was up 6% entering 2025. The food and beverage practice remains one of its most active verticals.

MSL's Food & Beverage Practice

MSL's food PR work spans the full spectrum — from legacy CPG brands to challenger food companies navigating ingredient scrutiny, recall risk, and the shift in how consumers research purchase decisions. Current and recent clients across the firm's food and beverage work include Campbell's, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Heineken, McDonald's, Danone, and others.

The firm received a 2026 SABRE Award nomination in the Food & Beverage: Food category for work on Campbell's State of the Sides 2025 — a campaign developed alongside Leo Chicago, Spark, and Unicorns & Unicorns Los Angeles.

MSL's food practice is built around what the firm calls earned media as a "superpower" — the belief that influence built through press, content, and structured communications outlasts paid. In food specifically, that means managing category narratives, ingredient-level scrutiny, food safety communications, and the growing intersection of food branding and social media culture.

MSL Inside Publicis Groupe

MSL operates within Publicis Groupe's "Power of One" model — meaning food clients can draw on creative capabilities from Leo Burnett, media from Starcom, and data infrastructure from Epsilon alongside MSL's earned media and communications work. That integration increasingly matters in food, where a product launch or crisis requires simultaneous coordination across paid, earned, owned, and social channels.

The firm positions its consumer practice — including food — around its proprietary Fluency influencer marketing approach, which maps creator relationships to audience behavior rather than follower counts. In food specifically, micro-influencers with niche dietary or lifestyle audiences have become a primary amplification channel for campaigns that need authentic third-party endorsement.

For a full landscape of global PR firms including MSL and its Publicis Groupe peers, see the EPR PR Agency Directory.

Global holdco networks: Edelman · Burson · Weber Shandwick · FleishmanHillard · Golin Ketchum · Ogilvy PR · Havas Red

Consumer & food peers: HUNTER · Coyne PR · DeVries Global · Autumn Communications · Marketing Maven

Crisis & corporate peers: Sard Verbinnen · Joele Frank · Sitrick And Company · APCO Worldwide · Brunswick Group

Adjacent EPR coverage: PR Agency Profiles Directory · PR Leaders Directory · Top Financial PR Firms in 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MSL's food and beverage practice?

MSL operates one of the largest food and beverage PR practices inside a global agency network, working with brands including Campbell's, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Heineken, McDonald's, and Danone across earned media, influencer, and corporate communications.

Is MSL part of Publicis Groupe?

Yes. MSL is the flagship PR agency of Publicis Groupe, operating across more than 100 offices in 40 countries. It was formed through the merger of Manning Selvage & Lee and Publicis Consultants and is one of the largest PR networks in the world.

What awards has MSL won for food and beverage work?

MSL received a 2026 SABRE Award nomination in the Food & Beverage: Food category for the Campbell's State of the Sides 2025 campaign, developed alongside Leo Chicago, Spark, and Unicorns & Unicorns Los Angeles.

EPR Editorial Team
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EPR Editorial Team

The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.

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