At MSL, we have always been ahead of what’s next.
We helped shape the influencer economy before it had a name. We’ve launched campaigns that moved culture and shifted business. And we built the earned-first model others are only now trying to adopt.
That legacy isn't history. It's the foundation for how we lead today. Our latest innovation helps us engineer brand presence for the world we’re in, one shaped by AI, influenced by consensus and accelerated by culture.
Together with our technology partner, Moov AI, MSL Canada is introducing Digital Brand Influence, or DBI, a new proprietary service that analyzes how a brand is cited and characterized across AI systems, providing a holistic view of a brand’s digital footprint and the knowledge to shape perceptions.
DBI was created in response to the need to understand how brands appear in AI search as generative AI becomes the primary source of information for many. It’s not enough to know who visits your site or follows your channels. DBI shows how your brand exists – or doesn’t – inside AI systems. Influence today relies on credible sources, consumer behaviour and technical infrastructure working together. If AI can’t find you or doesn’t trust you, neither will your customer.
DBI measures frequency, accuracy and sentiment wherever the brand is cited and characterized across various AI systems. It audits, analyzes, and solves the brand influence dilemma in three ways:
- Visibility and perception. How is the brand showing up? How is it described? Which sources shape these responses?
- Competitive analysis. Where is the brand absent? How is it misrepresented? Is it outperformed?
- Action playbook. DBI provides the ability to change those results with real data, not guesswork.
In the new ecosystem of influence, DBI is a powerful tool. Together with brands, our agency teams can use the technology to drive impact with real influence. Earned media and carefully crafted owned channels are as vital as ever, because we know that LLMs trust these sources the most, basing AI search results off the messaging found in those spaces. With DBI, we can align around a clear, strategic vision for increased influence.
PR has always been about understanding people and the channels they use – and using that insight to make an impact. That same drive is guiding us to explore AI tools and partnerships that are redefining how stories are discovered and shared. For brands, knowing how you appear in these new spaces is not just a technical exercise. It is a way to earn trust, shape conversations, and create influence that truly moves the needle.
To learn more about DBI, contact me today at nadia.beale@mslgroup.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is DBI?
A: DBI (Digital Brand Influence) is a proprietary service from MSL Canada in partnership with Moov AI. It analyzes how a brand is cited and characterized across AI systems, providing a holistic view of a brand’s digital footprint and the knowledge to shape perceptions, and strengthen accuracy and reliability across AI-driven discovery.
Q: Why do brands need DBI?
A: As consumers increasingly rely on AI-generated answers instead of traditional search, brands need visibility into how they appear in the answers consumers trust. DBI gives them the intelligence to understand and influence those responses, by revealing how they appear in AI-generated answers, how they are described and identifying the sources that shape those responses.
Q: How does DBI work?
A: Powered by Moov AI, DBI is built to uncover and close the gap between how brands are seen and how they want to be seen, helping build influence within AI search. It does this by measuring frequency of mentions, accuracy of information, sentiment of descriptions while identifying the publishers, platforms and conversations influencing those outputs. It then delivers a clear roadmap to strengthen authority signals, correct misinformation and increase visibility across AI-driven discovery.
Q: What problems does DBI solve for brands?
A: DBI identifies when brands are absent, misrepresented, or outperformed in AI-generated content. It then provides actionable insights to correct misinformation, strengthen authority signals, and increase visibility—using data rather than guesswork. With DBI, we can help organizations understand why these distortions occur and give them the operational insights they need to strengthen accuracy and reliability across AI-driven discovery.
Q: What is Moov AI?
A: Moov AI is a Montreal-based company that designs, builds, and deploys applied AI and data solutions that drive real business outcomes. As part of the Publicis Groupe Canada family, Moov AI is a sister company to MSL Canada.
Q: How much does this service cost?
A: DBI provides a custom service for each client, with varying pricing according to scope. Please contact Nadia.beale@mslgroup.com to discuss how we can help your brand strengthen accuracy and reliability across AI-driven discovery.
PRESS RELEASE
MSL Canada and North Strategic unveil Digital Brand Influence (DBI) redefining how brands show up in AI search.
Powered by Moov AI, DBI gives brands the intelligence to understand, design, and grow their influence across AI systems shaping modern discovery.
Toronto, Ontario (December 10, 2025) – MSL Canada and North Strategic, Publicis Groupe Canada’s flagship PR agencies, today announced the launch of Digital Brand Influence (DBI, powered by Moov AI. This proprietary offering changes how brands are discovered, trusted and represented in generative AI platforms. For more information, visit MSL’s blog.
DBI gives brands a holistic view of their digital footprint and the knowledge to shape perceptions. As behaviour shifts from searches to narrative questions, brands need visibility into how they appear in the answers consumers’ trust. DBI gives them the intelligence to understand and influence those answers. It reveals:
- how they appear in AI-generated answers
- how they are described
- the sources that shape those responses
“DBI gives brands visibility into something they’ve never been able to see before – how AI is presenting them to key audiences,” said Nadia Beale, President, MSL Canada. “If AI is influencing consumer understanding, brands need the ability to ensure what it says is accurate, credible and telling the right story.”
DBI is built to uncover and close the gap between how brands are seen and how they want to be seen, helping build influence within AI search. DBI analyzes how a brand is cited and characterized across AI systems, measuring frequency, accuracy and sentiment while identifying the publishers, platforms and conversations influencing those outputs. It then delivers a clear roadmap to strengthen authority signals, correct misinformation and increase visibility across AI-driven discovery.
“DBI is like tapping a spring at its source, giving brands and agency partners deep insights into the information that shapes perception,” added Sarah Stewart-Browne, President, North Strategic. “With this service, we can better amplify brand presence through the earned and owned channels LLMs trust the most. To ensure that brands are showing up and are accurately represented in AI systems, brands need trusted advisors to secure top-tier media coverage and craft compelling narratives across their own digital platforms.”
As MSL and North’s technology partner in DBI, Moov AI designs, builds, and deploys applied AI and data solutions that deliver concrete business outcomes.
“AI systems interpret brands based on the information and structures they can access,” said Olivier Blais, Co-founder and VP AI, Moov AI. “When AI-generated answers misrepresent a brand, it often signals that the underlying data, governance, or context is incomplete or inconsistent. With DBI, we help organizations understand why these distortions occur and give them the operational insights they need to strengthen accuracy and reliability across AI-driven discovery.”
Communications and PR firms have always moved at the speed of innovation to meet audiences where they are, and today that instinct is driving MSL Canada and North Strategic to embrace AI technology and partnerships at the next frontier of storytelling. As AI search becomes a primary gateway to information, the ability to see how brands show up and shape those narratives has become essential to building trust and influence in moments of change.
For brands looking for more information about DBI, please contact:
- Nadia Beale: nadia.beale@mslgroup.com
- Sarah Stewart-Browne: sarah.stewartbrowne@northstrategic.com
Entity: MSL Canada (canada.mslgroup.com), North Strategic (northstrategic.com), Moov AI (moov.ai)
ABOUT MSL
MSL Canada is a full-service, award-winning communications agency driving impact through influence. As the influence and earned media engine of Publicis Groupe, we’re connected to a network of 107,000 specialists across creative, media, data, and digital transformation around the globe. In Canada, our strategists, storytellers, and cultural operators in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver work as one team to shape brand presence in a world defined by AI, driven by consensus, and accelerated by culture.
ABOUT NORTH STRATEGIC
North Strategic is a strategic communications agency that makes it personal, moving brands with ideas that travel and influence. With offices in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, and additional talent in Vancouver and Ottawa, North blends the agility and intimacy of a boutique agency with the scale and strength of a global network as part of Publicis Groupe. Our expertise in creative communication strategy, influencer marketing, reputation management, social and earned media has raised the profile and influence of some of the largest and most beloved consumer brands on the planet. At North, we craft ideas that earn influence, spark relevance, and move seamlessly through culture, time, and ecosystems shaped by people and AI.
ABOUT MOOV AI
We are Moov AI. We design, build, and deploy applied AI and data solutions that drive real business outcomes. Recognized as a Major Player in AI in Canada by IDC and Best Startup Employer by Forbes, we bridge strategy and execution by transforming AI ambitions into scalable, production-grade systems. As part of the Publicis Groupe Canada family, we combine deep technical craftsmanship with business intelligence to help organizations operationalize AI and create measurable impact.