Atomic 212 and Mumbrella – A Sad State of Affairs

Another interesting day for the digital industry, and anyone in media more broadly.

As revealed by Mumbrella yesterday afternoon in a lengthy exposé, media darling Atomic 212 looks as though they may, uhh, have ‘exaggerated’ claims in some award submissions. Over the last few years, the agency has been awarded a slew of accolades by just about every major industry body and publication. The winning submissions included claims of working with accounts such as Nike, Westpac, and Audi, which have since largely been disputed by the companies themselves.

The CEO, Jason Dooris is at the centre of the controversy, as are some of the awards that have been given to him personally. The claims are picking up steam amongst industry press with commentators attacking the agency from every angle.

I can’t personally comment on Atomic 212’s dealings as an agency nor their CEO who is singled out repeatedly, but it is a pretty sad indictment of the industry.

To be clear, we don’t really play in the same space as Atomic 212, but our little corner of the industry is plagued by the same sorts of claims of dishonesty, misleading and deceptive conduct, and generally opaque business practices.

That’s why I, along with our M.D. Matt Cooper, spend so much time and effort ensuring the values we hold dearly (fundamentally honesty and transparency) shine through in all our dealings. This is not just limited to things like award entries (of which we’ve only completed one so far – for Google Premier Partners), but also in how we sell to clients, partners, and staff, and then how we build and manage all of our relationships.

We’re proud to say that our values — decided not from the ‘top down’ but in a full day session with the entire business — drive every decision we make as an agency. Helpful, Ethical, Loyal, Passionate; H.E.L.P. That’s what makes Alpha Digital, Alpha Digital.

Whether or not these claims end up being accurate, I definitely feel for the employees of Atomic 212.