In 2024, Atomic 212° held onto the crown of Australia’s largest independent media agency; and in its final year as an indie – the agency certainly delivered.

It acquired the media division of Adelaide and Perth agency kwpx, which it had worked with for several years.

This helped Atomic grow its squad by 19 per cent  and media billings by $35 million, while adding some of South Australia’s finest clients, such as Coopers Brewery, Flinders University, RAA (The Royal Automobile Association) and more. 

New business and retention were strong throughout the year; the agency added dozens of new clients, such as Bluescope, GWM (Great Wall Motors), Darrell Lea and BMW & MINI New Zealand, while retaining Bupa, Origin Energy, Charles Darwin University and Sydney Water.

RECMA awarded Atomic  212° a market leading A grade in their Compitches Score, and an impressive ‘high’ Profile Classification. 

The agency more than doubles its annual revenue target by growing 35 per cent year-on-year.

Its diversity metrics also stack up well compared to industry peers with a near 50-50 split in female leadership, and a third from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Atomic 212° has not just produced impressive performances on the pitch; the agency has sharpened up training and coaching for staff. The agency’s Academy 212º initiative, which offers diversified learning programs lifted learning hours across the business more than ten-fold, up from from 945 in 2023 to a huge 9,875 in 2024. 

Other highlights include growing revenue across its market research tool SONAR by 700 per cent, including with clients such as BMW, Northern Territory, Victoria University, BlueScope and Bupa. Meanwhile its channel planning tool has reduced baseline media planning from a day to 15 minutes.

Atomic 212° picked up silverware at the Cairns Crocodiles, Campaign’s APAC Awards and MFA Awards. 

In the final quarter of the season, Atomic 212° locked in Rory Heffernan as its new captain.

Perhaps it’s the work that the club’s founder and chair, Barry O’Brien, delivered in the offseason that will prove most formative for the agency’s future.

In early 2025, O’Brien sold the business to Publicis Groupe, opening a new chapter for one of the nation’s most storied independent agencies.