Once upon a time, an MG almost eclipsed “the girl” as a young man’s #1 fancy, aided in no small measure by advertising that understood a young man’s mind at the time.

The brand is set to undergo a massive relaunch and rebrand in Australia. And Atomic 212° has been brought on board as its full- service partner.

“And by full service, we mean full service,” Atomic 212° noted.

The agency is responsible for all communications, including creative, strategy and media buying, from brand to retail, and across all channels, both above and below the line.

Atomic 212° won the competitive pitch after SAIC Motor, the largest automotive company in China and the owner of what is now a British-cum-Chinese brand, established an Australian operation and set its sights on significant expansion.

SAIC Motor Australia marketing and communications senior manager, Danny Lenartic, commented, “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.”

Work is already underway, with the first creative expected to hit the market in May. Atomic 212°’s first assignment is the rollout of the MGGS, which will become the first of several car launches planned in the near future.

Atomic 212° executive creative director, Jonas Lembke, commented, “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.”