Ultra Tune’s Marketing Budget Has Been Paid For “Rubber Girls” To Appear In Men’s Magazines

“Some franchisees liked previous campaigns, some didn’t like previous campaigns, and some didn’t like previous campaigns on a personal level but supported as business owners given the effectiveness .”

The company has confirmed that it has retired its “Unexpected Situations” advertisements and associated marketing after a leadership change over the past two years.

“The world has moved on, and so has Ultra Tune,” the spokesperson said.

Emails from 2019 and 2020 obtained by age detailed conversations between the Australian publisher of a men’s magazine Maxim and Ultra Tune employees, who discussed the fees the automaker has to pay to have their “brand ambassadors” appear in the magazine.

According to the emails, the $120,000 annual deal included advertising and saw a number of girls appear on the covers of Maxim and in the magazine’s annual “Hot 100” list.

In March 2020, the marketing agency hired by Ultra Tune emailed the publisher of Maxim in Australia, saying he had been instructed by the company’s marketing committee to “provide greater accountability for all marketing expenses”.

“While Sean is keen to continue his partnership with MaximI was tasked with developing a rationale for its purpose/inclusion in our marketing activities,” he said.

One of the brand ambassadors featured on the cover of Maxim was Jennifer Cole, Buckley’s former partner. Other female ambassadors who have been featured in the magazine who have also had relationships with Buckley include Laura Lydall and Giuliana Migliorini.

Ultra Tune’s spokesperson said the Maxim the deal was only a small part of his campaign and confirmed that Buckley had had affairs with some of the women featured in the magazines.

“You specifically asked if Mr. Buckley had a relationship with any of the previous Ambassadors/Influencers. The answer is yes… The relevant question is not whether Mr. Buckley had a personal relationship with an Ambassador /influencer, but the business benefits of the campaigns in reference to key metrics,” the spokesperson said.

In 2019, Ultra Tune was fined $2 million for a number of franchise code violations, including failing to ensure that marketing fund statements were prepared on time and contained sufficient expense details.

The code requires a franchisor to prepare, audit, and distribute marketing fund statements within specified time frames if a franchisee is required to contribute money to the fund.

Ultra Tune had to follow a court-ordered compliance program, which the ACCC claims breached because it was slow to produce and distribute marketing fund materials.

Ultra Tune’s Statements of Marketing Revenue and Expenses show that the company spent approximately $150,000 per year on fees for “brand ambassadors,” a role it describes as “promoting the Ultra brand. Tune on social media platforms and any other social media platforms as directed from time to time, appear on television commercials and general promotional work”.

In the year to June 2019, the company paid $1.91 million in television advertising and $611,411 in production costs for “Charlie Sheen Off The Pier.” The following year, the company spent nearly $1 million on television advertising, as well as $732,754 in “production costs” related to Pamela Anderson.

UltraTune Baywatch-themed ad, featuring Anderson and former AFL star Warwick Capper, was the most criticized ad in the first half of 2020, according to the Advertising Standards Bureau.

Roland Rahlinger ended his involvement with Ultra Tune last month, after operating a franchise for more than 20 years.

“They never told us what they were spending the money on. We never had control. They would just say it’s our new ads,” he said.

“But I had a lot of clients who were having the shit with the ads. They were like, ‘What are these rubber girls? Everything is so sexist. ”

Steve Jermyn ran an Ultra Tune franchise in the New South Wales town of Nowra for a decade before ending his association in May. He has strongly opposed the company’s controversial “rubber girl” campaign.

“It’s just disgusting. I come from a corporate background with Hewlett-Packard and I knew what he was doing was wrong, but as a franchisee you had no input,” he said.

“We had no say in where the money was spent, but one of the biggest gripes with Ultra Tune, certainly in the first seven years, was the publicity. When they had Mike Tyson [in a commercial] I called a woman to the front door and she yelled, ‘How dare you have a convicted rapist as your marketing manager.’

“I said, ‘Look, I agree with you, but there’s nothing I can do.’ ”

In a video uploaded to youtube Late last year, Buckley said Ultra Tune’s advertising campaigns were designed to disrupt and create controversy.

“Before, an auto mechanic would say on TV, ‘Come to us, we’ll give you the best price and the best service.’ People won’t buy this garbage. People are desensitized to that. You have to have a different gimmick or a different angle to attract people,” he said.

He said in the video that he was engaged to one of the advert stars, Laura Lydall, at the time they filmed the first adverts.

In the video, Ultra Tune national marketing manager Rod Cedaro said Buckley decided to be “a little bit politically incorrect and try to create some controversy, so the rubber girls were born”.