ORRVILLE, OHIO — Food giant J.M. Smucker has revamped its public relations approach as it consolidates all of its marketing communications with Publicis Groupe, following a competitive review that also included WPP and IPG. 

Publicis Groupe will pool talent from across its agencies (including PR firm MSL) to create three multi-functional teams that support Smucker’s major business units — coffee, pet food, and snacks/consumer foods — with services from creative and media to thought leadership.

Smucker has worked with Publicis before, with Razorfish handling digital marketing for the company, best known for its jams and jellies. Gray and Dentsu-owned Carat have also been among Smucker’s agencies over the years.

The agency consolidation reflects the overhaul of Smucker's internal marketing function, including PR. This has involved consolidating multiple centers of excellence into three, multi-disciplinary teams to support the three business units.

Previously, Smucker deployed one PR team to support brands across the company. Each of the three units now has its own dedicated PR support, a Smucker spokesperson said.

Smucker is also investing in resources that will yield better content, consumer insights and data analytics. The spokesperson added that the company's new marketing model hopes to make Smucker faster and more agile in order to better reach and engage consumers across multiple platforms.

“We have consistently embraced change when it makes sense for the long-term success of our business and our stakeholders. The introduction of the ‘Power of One’ model is the latest example of our ability to evolve and innovate to meet the needs of consumers,” said president and CEO Mark Smucker. “The transformation of our marketing model, which enhances our ability to put the consumer at the center of everything we do, demonstrates our commitment to quickly address opportunities for continued growth."