ATLANTA — NAPA Auto Parts has named Golin its first-ever PR agency as part of a sweeping push to revitalize the century-old brand.

The agency’s remit includes driving earned media and engagement, thought leadership and influencer strategy, with a focus on fostering deeper audience connections. Golin’s NAPA team will include experts in strategy, creative, earned media, digital and corporate communications.

Golin will also partner with NAPA parent Genuine Parts Company to drive the corporate brand’s communication strategy forward.

Golin is one of three new NAPA agency partners, all of which were selected following competitive reviews launched in October.

The Variable, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based ad agency, has been named NAPA’s agency of record for brand strategy, creative, content, and social. Columbia, Maryland-based Merkle has been appointed NAPA’s CRM agency to lead customer marketing and enhance the existing loyalty work for NAPA Rewards.

NAPA's previous agencies include ad agency VMLY&R. The company also has a relationship with media agency Spark Foundry.

“NAPA has kept people on the road in communities worldwide for the last 100 years, and we plan to do that for the next century,” said Jamie Walton, NAPA’s executive VP and chief merchandising officer.  “We are arriving at the dawn of an entirely new era for our industry and this collective team brings the excitement, energy and passion required to drive value and shared values with customers, retailers, investors and the business community.”

NAPA’s roots date back to 1925, when a group of independent auto parts sellers formed the National Automotive Parts Association to improve distribution. Today the company includes 6,000 NAPA stores, more than 16,000 NAPA care and collision centers in addition to distribution sites.