Publicis Groupe amps up media business with Atomic 212° acquisition

Publicis Groupe has bolstered its media services with the acquisition of Australia’s largest independent media agency, Atomic 212°. The acquisition will add significant firepower

Atomic 212 leadership team (L-R): Barry O'Brien, chairman & partner; James Dixon, chief data officer & partner; Lorraine Woods, chief investment & trading officer; Rory Heffernan, CEO; Ashleigh Carter, GM Sydney; Tom Sheppard, GM media technology.

Publicis Groupe ANZ has acquired Australia’s largest independent media agency, Atomic 212° in a bid to bolster its end-to-end marketing services for clients.

The acquisition will add significant firepower to Publicis’ existing media group which includes Spark Foundry ANZ, Starcom Australia, Zenith Australia and MBM New Zealand and help the group compete with rivals GroupM and Omnicom Media Group.

Publicis Groupe’s media division is currently ranked number one on the COMvergence Barometer report and was number three on the 2023 RECMA report.

Publicis Groupe ANZ chief executive Michael Rebelo, said the acquisition was a “unique opportunity” to strengthen and scale the group’s media capabilities by adding “Australia’s most progressive independent media agency into our fold”.

“ANZ has been on an incredible trajectory, experiencing growth and momentum across all metrics,” said Mr Rebelo.

“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.”

Atomic 212°, which is led by highly regarded chairman & partner Barry O’Brien OAM, alongside chief digital officer & partner James Dixon and CEO Rory Heffernan, has been a consistent top performer and has been recognised at local and global awards including Digital Innovation Agency of the Year in Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year Awards 2023.

Last year, the agency had a strong new business run adding $100 million in new business from clients such as Great Wall and Blue Scope Steel. It also boasts a number of longstanding clients such as Origin, O’Brien Glass, NT tourism, NT Government, and BMW.

The media agency claims to have clients across almost all categories, which had become a challenge for new business growth, partner James Dixon told The Growth Agenda last year.

“One of the throttles on our growth now is this conflict issue,” he said. “We’ve got most categories, if anything, we need to start a sister brand, because we’re getting opportunities, but we can’t necessarily take them on.”

Atomic 212° has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Darwin, as well as a presence in Adelaide, following its acquisition of the media division of iconic South Australian advertising agency kwpX in December.

The acquisition ends years of speculation about potential buyouts of the independent media darling.

Atomic 212° chairman Barry O’Brien OAM 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.”

Atomic 212° chief executive Rory Heffernan added: “ 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.”