Atomic 212° has announced it has been appointed as the full-service agency partner for classic car brand MG as it prepares to re-launch in Australia.

Atomic 212° will be responsible for all communications for MG, including creative, strategy and media buying, from brand to retail, and across all channels, both above and below the line.

The agency won the competitive pitch after SAIC Motor, the largest automotive company in China and the owner of the MG brand, established an Australian operation.

SAIC Motor’s marketing and communications senior manager for Australia, Danny Lenartic, said: “We were looking for a true partner, and Atomic really fit the bill, both in terms of their culture and their holistic approach to creative, media and everything in between. We were blown away by their ideas and their can-do attitude.

“This is an exciting time for our business. We are significantly ramping up our presence in Australia and looking to invest substantially in the brand.”

Atomic 212° has already started working on the re-launch, with the first creative campaign expected to hit the market next month.

The agency’s first assignment involves the roll-out of the MGGS, with multiple car launches planned in the near future.

Atomic 212° executive creative director Jonas Lembke said: “As a creative director, to work on a car brand is the Holy Grail, and to land an account as iconic as MG is a dream come true.

“This win is testament to the agile creative media model we have adopted here at the agency. We have gone to market as a truly full-service agency that combines technology, creative and media under the one roof, and the clients couldn’t be happier.

“The best part of the appointment is that SAIC has come to us as a partner. We are sitting down and figuring out together how we are going to build this company in the local market. This is the most exciting part – different people from different backgrounds coming together to figure out business problems in a creative way.

“SAIC are doing some amazing things and developing some industry-leading products, and we are thrilled to be working with them as their full-service agency.

“Historically, MG has a reputation for some pretty amazing advertising. The brand has always been known for its fun, cheeky, sometimes controversial approach to marketing, and we hope to continue that tradition in the Australian market.”