Mumbai: Publicis Groupe ANZ has officially announced its acquisition of Atomic 212°, Australia’s independent media agency, marking a significant milestone in the region’s media landscape.
Founded in 2008, Atomic 212° has gained prominence for its innovative approach and consistent excellence, earning accolades both locally and globally. In 2024, the agency was awarded Digital Innovation Agency of the Year (Gold) and Media Agency of the Year (Silver) at Campaign’s ANZ Agency of the Year Awards. This followed its 2023 recognition as Independent Media Agency of the Year and Digital Innovation Agency of the Year at Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year Awards.
Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ, highlighted the strategic value of this acquisition, stating, “Our media practice in ANZ has been on an incredible trajectory, experiencing growth and momentum across all metrics. The acquisition of Atomic 212° presents a unique opportunity to bring Australia’s most progressive independent media agency into our fold, further strengthening and scaling our media capabilities.”
Rebelo added, “Atomic 212° is globally recognised for its world-class expertise. For over 15 years, it has consistently delivered growth to clients by leveraging marketing technology and data in media. By adding Atomic 212° to our market-leading roster of agency businesses, we solidify our position as the only group in ANZ capable of offering truly comprehensive end-to-end marketing transformation solutions to our clients.”
The agency, which operates from offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Darwin, is led by Barry O’Brien OAM (Chairman), Rory Heffernan (CEO), and James Dixon (Chief Digital Officer).
Commenting on the acquisition, O’Brien said, “From our first meeting, the Publicis Groupe offering and their continuous encouragement to help our business grow was the compelling factor in making this decision. The way the Groupe’s connected platform proposition flows through the organisation, its leadership, its people and its clients is truly powerful. We have grown Atomic 212° into a world-class media operation, but we recognise that the complexity of marketing requires holistic services for our clients. By joining the global best in this regard, we are confident that we can offer our staff and clients an even better experience moving into the future.”
Heffernan echoed these sentiments, stating, “We continue to provide our clients with an exceptional suite of products and capabilities, with industry-leading talent delivering across media, research, technology and analytics. We’re incredibly proud to see our capabilities recognised on the global stage, and excited to join Publicis Groupe ANZ at a time when their connected model is delivering such strong results. Our team and clients will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds, as we continue to focus on delivering on our ‘Smarter, Faster, Accountable’ brand promise, while leveraging the Groupe’s broader benefits in growth, creativity and capability.”
This acquisition builds upon Publicis Groupe ANZ’s strong momentum in the media sector. Its agencies—Spark Foundry, Zenith, Starcom, and MBM—have collectively dominated new business momentum in Australia, securing the #1 position in the 2023 COMvergence Barometer report for gross and net new business. Additionally, the 2023 RECMA report ranked Publicis Groupe ANZ’s media brands at #3 in Australia for the first time, while maintaining the #2 position in New Zealand.
