The firm was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1972 by Bill Novelli and Jack Porter, advertising executives, who worked together to market the Peace Corps.

[10][11] The company created a Jack + Bill "popup agency" in September 2008 led by eight younger Porter Novelli employees.

[18] In November 2013, the Navy Federal Credit Union filed a complaint against the firm in the San Diego County Superior Court to collect payment on a contract.

[25][26] In 2022, the firm co-published research with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disability and the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education, studying the use of a paid digital marketing campaign to promote a mobile childhood developmental tracking application.

[27] Jillian Janaczek, formerly of Burson Cohn & Wolfe, became CEO in August 2023, following David Bentley's departure in June 2023.

[29] In September 2020 the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a report outlining how Porter Novelli used taxpayer funds to promote Verma, and detailing how Porter Novelli shuffled money to private Republican political operators including Nahigian Strategies, Pam Stevens, and nearly two dozen other Republican contractors.

[37] The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 2009 gave the firm a three-year contract to support its "Learn More Breathe Better" campaign for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease awareness.

[38][39] In 2015, Porter Novelli helped facilitate the Ice Bucket Challenge with the ALS Association, and guided the campaign to receive more national and international media attention.