Publicis acquires independent Aussie media shop Atomic 212

Australia’s largest independent full-service media agency Atomic 212 has been acquired by Publicis Groupe.

Led by chairman Barry O’Brien, CEO Rory Heffernan and chief digital officer James Dixon, Atomic 212 has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin. The agency will join Publicis Groupe’s media network, which includes Spark Foundry in Australia and New Zealand, Zenith Australia, Starcom Australia, and MBM New Zealand.

Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ, described Atomic 212 as “Australia's most progressive” independent media agency.

“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," he said.

O’Brien said his team had built Atomic 212 into a world-class media operation but acknowledged that more was needed to meet evolving market demands.

“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.”

Publicis Groupe describes its offering across the Australian and New Zealand markets as a mix of creativity, intelligence, and technology.

Its agencies and business units across the wider Publicis network include Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Worldwide, PXP, Prodigious, Prodigious PLAY, and Spark Foundry, along with digital agencies Razorfish and Digitas.