MS&L has a long, rich history as one of the world's oldest communications firms.

Founded in 1938, MS&L's reputation was built by providing strategic counsel to major corporations. That heritage is very much alive today in our partnerships with many of the world's largest and most complex global organizations – from General Motors to Procter & Gamble to Philips to Pfizer. Our expertise spans across four major disciplines – corporate, consumer marketing, healthcare and technology – and is leveraged to provide solutions for clients and to energize stakeholder connections.

The MS&L of today is a fusion of two firms, Selvage & Lee and Farley Manning Associates. In 1972 the firms merged to form Manning Selvage & Lee, Inc. Farley Manning Associates brought solid expertise in science/health and consumer product public relations to the new firm, and Selvage & Lee brought corporate and investor relations experience.

In 1980, MS&L became a partner of Benton & Bowles, Inc., one of the world's leading advertising agencies. Five years later, D'Arcy MacManus & Masius merged with Benton & Bowles (DMB&B). The merger formed a communications agency with worldwide reach and impressive credentials. In 1996, the MacManus Group was formed, and MS&L became a partner in an even larger global communications group.

In 1999, The MacManus Group announced its merger with the Leo Group, parent company for Leo Burnett Company, Inc., based in Chicago. Bcom3, the new holding company, boasted an unrivaled client roster, and quickly established a leadership position in the communications industry. In early 2000, Dentsu Advertising, Japan's leading advertising agency, purchased a 20% stake in Bcom3.

On September 25, 2002, the Paris-based Publicis Groupe completed the acquisition of Bcom3 to create the world’s fourth largest communications group. Its activities span 109 countries on six continents and include advertising, marketing services, media counsel and buying, media sales and specialized communications. These specialized communications include public relations, corporate and financial communications, multicultural and healthcare communications.

In 2008, MS&L created a new brand architecture to support the firm's growth: MS&L Worldwide, a network of communications brands and specialty consultancies that includes its MS&L-branded public relations and marketing communications network, specialty companies, affiliated companies and innovation areas. As part of this effort, the official company name for MS&L-branded offices - Manning Selvage & Lee - was changed to MS&L.