“The stuff that we do from a strategy perspective is different. We like to be disruptive. I like to be a bit of an agitator,” Atomic 212’s national head of strategy, Asier Carazo, told Mediaweek.
The independent media agency has had a successful year with impressive campaigns, business wins, and retentions thanks to its “disruptive” approach.
Carazo said that because of the Australian market’s “fairly conservative” nature, Atomic 212 is well-placed to agitate the market and marketers “but always within reason and confidence.”
“We love giving them the right confidence in what media will deliver for them.”
He said Atomic’s strategy is in a “sweet moment”, with the team growing strong and strategic product resonating with clients and prospects.
Carazo worked across the European and US markets before joining the agency in 2020 after meeting with national managing director Rory Heffernan and CEO Claire Fenner.
“I was like, these guys are onto something, and they had big ambitions and very open minds, which we don’t find often in the industry. They didn’t have a strategy team and asked if I wanted to build one, and I gave it a crack. It’s been almost five years now.”
Rory Heffernan and Claire Fenner – Atomic
‘Strategy that is easy to understand is a good strategy’
Atomic 212 has grown from strength to strength, particularly in the last year, with many new business wins, including Chinese car manufacturer GWM, BlueScope Australia, the NT Government, NT Major Events Company, Darrell Lea, and My Muscle Chef.
Carazo credits this to its people. He said: “We like to be a smart agency, especially from a strategy perspective.”
“Our strategy is down to earth, easy to understand, and grounded in numbers and data. We try to make strategy easy for all types of marketers because a strategy that is easy to understand is a good strategy.”
He said that his team is focused on helping and upskilling clients.
“That’s what has helped us have so many advocates within our clients, not just CMOs that love Atomic, but even marketing execs and managers are advocates for our work because we empower them with the right tools and input.”
‘We can deliver’
In addition to pitching aggressively and new business, Atomic 212’s success comes from retaining clients. He explained that reappointments were as important as winning new pitches as they highlighted the long-term, close working relationships.
“The latest one was BMW Australia and then expanding into New Zealand. That shows that what we pitch is true and excites clients, but also, we can deliver over the years.”
Carazo also noted health insurance provider Bupa as a significant client retention, which is now entering its fifth year, and the agency’s reappointment to Tourism Northern Territory, which is going into its ninth year.
‘I want Atomic to be very good at media and research’
Looking ahead, Carazo said his priority is to continue building “the best strategy team in Australia.”
“I’ve got an incredible group of seven humans who put a lot of passion and effort into the team. I am learning from them as much as they learn from me, being a good mentor for them and the best chief strategy officer in the country.”
He also said the strategy team is set for continued success by expanding its offering into new spaces after launching its consumer research product, Sonar, which has become an important revenue stream.
“We’re treating this product as our baby in the strategy team. This is the first time strategy is not just a cost centre but a revenue driver with bespoke research and brand tracking for our clients.”
Carazo said with the agency’s focus on investment, numbers, data, and accountability, research was the missing piece of the offering.
“A lot of agencies have tried to bring media and creative together. I don’t think there’s a good agency that does both well in this country or anywhere.
“I want Atomic to be very good at media and research. There’s a much bigger synergy between research and media than creative and media within my experience, having had different roles across creative and media agencies.”
‘Interesting work that delivers on results’
Carazo said his vision for Atomic 212’s strategy over the next five years is for the team to continue doing interesting and memorable work that delivers results.
“Delivering business results for our clients is important, but so is having an interesting approach to how we show up in media.”
He highlighted Atomic 212’s recent work with BMW and JCDecaux to launch the billboard in the Southern Hemisphere in Melbourne. He said the agency intends to continue delivering such results while finding opportunities to be part of popular culture.
Pawena Kaniah, Angus McLeod, Asier Carazo and Philippa Moig
‘Australia is way behind the rest of the world’
Carazo took to the stage at this year’s MFA EX alongside MFA DE&I Council members for a frank and enlightening conversation about the state of diversity in the industry and the work produced.
Carazo said he hoped attendees understood the importance of their role in making advertising more accessible.
“There are four million Australians that are living with some form of disability. That means that a lot of them are not experiencing media in the same way as someone who has no disability. Australia is way behind the rest of the world in terms of including closed or open captioning on TV ads or audio descriptions.”
Carazo said in the next 12 months, he hopes to see a change across the local industry.
“It’s not just the right thing to do but also what makes our job so much more interesting. Especially as strategists, our job is to understand audiences. If we’re not thinking with diversity in mind, we’re not thinking about the entire Australian population.”
Carazo hopes media agencies ask clients about accessibility features in future campaigns.
“Some publishers already offer them, but it’s making them (accessibility features) more front and centre in advertising. If we make advertising more accessible, the networks will also make their content more accessible.”
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Top image: Asier Carazo