Ad watchdog misunderstood complaints against ‘demeaning’ UltraTune ad says change.org petition organiser

So 1,269 people signed the online petition. Would be interested to see how many people chose NOT to sign it…

@Josh
24 million, I guess.
The complaint should have been that it is such a bad ad. What puerile mind came up with this?

I just wish it to be known that I am in NO WAY associated with any lobby group and this petition is not being driven by a lobby group. My best wishes to everyone.

I think that Ultra Tune Australia should remake the advert but use men to do so, it is degrading to women to be portrayed like that especially since we very rarely see men portrayed in the same way. I’m not sure how it’s okay for women to be portrayed like this but men never get the opportunity to be displayed as whores or dominatrix; surely the roles are reversable.

The advert was on throughout the Comm Games and it was on at a time that children would watch with their mum and dad. I don’t think it’s appropriate for children to view women like that, the times are changing and Ultra Tune Australia needs to get on board with these changing times and come up with something better.

Stop treating women as sex symbols to sell your product and we’ll stop complaining; it’s really rather simple. Also at the same time, if Ultra Tune Australia doesn’t think that it’s degrading to women then I suspect their next advert should include men dressed in leather as the women were.

The idea that this ad is only offensive to a small ‘lobby group’ is ludicrous. The ad tells women that they are only welcome and powerful when they use their sexuality and bodies. This is another example of how far we have to go when it comes to gender equality. The ASB needs to reconsider their decision. This ad is demeaning to all women, and our community.

I’m horrified that nothing has been done to stop this ad. Not one reply to any of the comments I made on their Facebook page or emails I sent. Who is making these decisions? I don’t know of any woman or man who would view the women in this ad portraying a “powerful” woman. I for one will not go away quietly and will continue to remind everyone not to use their services until they change the ad AND apologise publicly.

What about the poor male in the advertisement that is subjected to the rubberised advances from the rubber clad females? Assuming that he is in fact into rubber. Also how dare they assume that all ultra tune and motor mechanic staff are male, they should of used a non gender confirming actor. Men are capable of so much beyond fixing things that females break.

I signed the petition about the sleazy Ultratune ads. Fiona Jolly is mistaken. I am NOT part of any lobby group. I am a mother and grandmother and a medical doctor. I have never met and do not know the organizer of the petition, and I have rarely signed petitions. I belong to no other “group” except the “group” of people who have had enough of seeing sexualized advertisements for mundane items. There is no need to use blatant sexual innuendo in advertisements on television or on billboards. Just because the advertisement did not include nudity does not mean it was not slutty and ugly and inappropriate and demeaning. I am not outraged. I will not lose sleep over the sleazy advertisement. I have just had enough of this.

I am not part of a lobby group. I have used UltraTune for my last two services. I find the idea of having to deal with a company that portrays it’s workers as lecherous and unprofessional as abhorrent and offensive. The ad does nothing to promote the brand in a positive light, and thus is a disservice to its franchisees who would never behave in such a disrespectful manner towards their female customers.

Not only is this ad of poor quality and looks ‘dumb’, it insults the intelligence of males and females alike. Ultra Tune has made the very incorrect assumption that men are basic creatures driven only by sex and the depiction of women, well it goes without saying that the majority of females are going to have a problem with that!

The ad is CLEARLY laden with sexual innuendo – to say it’s suitable for viewing by children is ludicrous!
Have you, Ultra Tune or ASB, had to explain the ad to questioning 8- and 11-year olds??
Moreover, the depiction of women as leather-clad sexual nymphs gives entirely inappropriate messages to ALL adults, as well as children.
The refusal of Ultra Tune and the ASB to acknowledge the inappropriatness of the ad indicates that, unfortunately, the women’s movement isn’t nearly as far advanced as we’d like to believe. It also means that a significant number of people will choose to avoid Ultra Tune. And it means that I – and others – have lost confidence that the advertising standards watchdog has any standards or scruples whatsoever. Shame on you.

A group of individuals – all people who perhaps live with an awareness, are disatisfied with a revolting demoralising Ultra tune ad – are now a lobby group- we are NOT. We are concerned that you can’t see the lack of respect towards woman………..it is not the eighties anymore. We strong,confident woman with purses full of cash will just not spend at Ultra Tune. There may only be those who you mention are a lobby group on this petition but you and your company – Ultra Tune have failed to remember the power of the spoken word. The undervalued gift of the gab, the power of referral. Word of mouth. This ad should be removed. I

lobby group? I don’t think so!!! signed the petition because I find the ad offensive.
Fiona Jolly this ad is demeaning to women and you have a responsibility to have it taken down.

Pretty perplexed about the ASB’s assessment of the signatories to this petition being part of a lobby group. I actually came to this campaign as a result of receiving this objectionable ad via email (to a list I never signed up for).
I believe the ASB has misread the thrust of what is being objected to here. As a society we are being bombarded by marketing that constantly uses sex and gender stereotypes to sell to us. This advertisement is at the worst end of it, as it somehow seeks to use fetish and titillation to sell a product that has more to do with function and safety. What exactly goes through the mind of an advertising agency that thinks that this is ok?
I am in the fortunate position of being a new father to 2 baby girls. I seriously dread the day that I have to explain this sort of message to my girls, and dread even more bringing them up in an environment where they are sold to or represented as ‘objects’ rather than independent, intelligent human beings who are able to make decisions based on relevant information to the product.
Ultra Tune’s campaign tells us nothing about the product features and benefits (Safety of the product, quality, reliability of the service). Instead it uses sexual innuendo (Implied) and tells a story of women who are there for no other reason than a love of rubber. How stupid does Ultra Tune think it’s customers are?
The one thing that has come out of this campaign for me above all others is this. I am in a position of needing to find a new service centre after having moved towns. Ultra Tune is actually the closest service centre to me and would have been first cab off the rank to do the service to my vehicle (3 times a year). But after this campaign, and their subsequent stonewalling to the concerns of so many on Social Media and direct contact, I will never give them the opportunity to redeem themselves.

I find this ad demoralising and inappropriate…Why is it that companies have to use sex sell adds to make a profit.. We live in a very sad world…

@charry I feel the same way when diet coke features my fellow man shirtless in a bid to appease the female audience. It’s simply degrading isn’t it? We are two peas in a pod x

A “lobby group”? Really? What sort of a lobby group? Sounds like a big reach to me. Lets for the moment suspend reality and say the ASB is correct about this lobby group nonsense, bu dismissing the complaint they then ignore all other complaints from of us who are not in this “lobby group”. Seems like win win all round for the ASB and lose lose for the thinking population.

I signed the petition, as did several of my friends, because we were offended by it’s ludicrous pornified representation of females. We are in no way affiliated with a lobby group.

I find this ad disgusting. I signed the petition after seeing it while writing a complaint on the ultra tune website and getting no response from them at all. I am nothing to do with a lobby group, just a concerned mum who is not wanting my kids to be subjected to this garbage or thinking this is an ok way to treat people.

I wrote on UltraTune’s facebook page complaining about the ad this week. I stumbled upon the ad on a tv show pre-recorded. I was solely prompted by watching the ad and was appalled enough by it to go online to complain about t it. I wasn’t prompted by an online social media campaign. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
I didn’t complain to the Ad Standards Board.
Just wondering if the staff at UltraTune are still allowed the lurid calendars that used to hang in mechanic workshops during the 70’s or if they have been disallowed now? If so, why then does UltraTune and the Ad Standards Board think that what is basically, one of these calendars in ad format, objectifies the woman in the sex-fantasy-ad as “powerful and confident”?!!

I am a mother of 3 and NOT associated with any “lobby group” and I chose to sign the petition. I find this ad to be extremely offensive to both men and woman. It portrays woman as sexual objects and men as dumb and unable to function. I was horrified to have to watch this rubbish while my 14 year old daughter was sitting next to me during prime time television. I am raising my children to respect themselves and their bodies and to find partners that do the same without the need for whips and domination and resent having them exposed to this lifestyle. Having read the above article i am saddened that the ASB chose to give this ad a PG rating, they should be ashamed of themselves. I am a previous customer of this company and I will NEVER use their services again.

So many concerned mums, go get jobs!

I am not connected to ANY lobby group. I am a mother of 4 girls and found this advertisement highly offensive and degrading. I saw this while watching tv and promptly put a complaint on the Ultra Tune Facebook page, at which I have received no reply. The fact that Ultra Tune is NOT listening to their customers is disappointing and they have definitely lost my support.

@Rick
What a dumb thing to say and not a useful contribution in any way.

This is a bad ad on every level. The ad is clearly aimed at men who Ultra Tune still seem to think are the only people who own cars. It is so dumb.

The Ultra Tune brand is all about clean high street mechanics, available and friendly to everyone at a reasonable price. To trash that brand by having pornstars rubbing themselves over tyres – which are the most unalluring product known to humanity – is just stupid. Why set out to offend three quarters of your potential customers? 3/4? Yes – because there would not be one woman out there who would be drawn to the brand because of this ad. And a lot of men react negatively as well.

And it is not funny, ironic or clever in any way. Rubber = rubber. Get it? Get it?

FFS…

Don’t feed the Trolls…

So girls it’s OK for a topless hunky bloke to sell diet coke? There seems to be some double standards going on here.

Ultratune now sell tyres, everyone seems to be aware of this fact now. Job done.
I do agree that young kids shouldn’t be exposed, so perhaps a different rating is the solution.

I was shocked to see this ad run at 8am during the Today Show. Its terrible that my young daughters should be subjected to this – watching women dressed in such outfits, seductively posing around the tyres – so ridiculous, portraying women as whores (please lets just call it what this is) and not to mention that the guy in the commercial comes across as a blubbering idiot. Please PLEASE lets have Ultratune remove this disgusting commercial, it sends all the wrong messages. and why are they doing it? just to make a few bucks. Honestly, this is so lame, so wrong, I do not understand how such a stupid ridiculous commercial was ever approved.

I also don’t get why Ultratune has decided to alienate half it potential customer base, what advertising agency was responsible for this sexist ad ? What are they thinking?

I wonder whether the ASB can appreciate that a number of concerned people commenting on an issue does not necessarily constitute a “lobby group”?
I am not a member of any group except “the general public”. Furthermore, even if it were a lobby group organising people to sign a petition, does that make it invalid? (This current Federal Government is driven by lobby groups with vested interests who certainly do not represent the general public!)
I am insulted that I can sign a petition and have my protest written off so off-handedly.
The ASB was inept in thinking the protest referred only to the women in the ad. I suggest the board has another look, or recruits some members who have a little more common sense. This is 2014, not 1956.

I am not part of an interest or lobby group unless you consider women in general to be such. I am hugely offended by Ultra Tune’s smutty ad. Takes me right back to the days when taking the car in for a service meant being exposed to centrefolds all over the walls. I’m also horrified that the Ad standards board consider it appropriate for children to be exposed to this kind of blatantly sexual material. They should be aware of the many individual and societal problems that research suggests stem from premature sexualisation of children. I can ensure my children don’t see inappropriate TV in the home but I have no control over what they see on the millions of screens in cafes, medical waiting rooms, fish and chips shops etc. etc. etc. I’m offended on behalf of men too by the smirking goose playing the part of the Ultra Tune service person in the ad.

I commented on the FB page because I’m fed up with this cheap, trashing advertising! I have 7 daughters, we have cars and we will not go to ultra tune until they clean up their advertising. You can argue all you like but we choose to drive straight past! We win!

ASB is a complete and utter joke! Independents my ar$e. All paid in their positions by advertisers. When using women as sexual objects to sell they are all putty in their masters hands, same goes for the more powerful than God alcohol industry. No complaints about either will ever be taken seriously because the ‘independants’ on the board know who pays their wages.

I didn’t realise it was sexist – I thought one of the people dressed rubber was a bloke…

people who are being offensive never want to admit it do they.

A truly disrespectful advertisement that has no place on our television screens. I have been a loyal customer of Ultra Tune’s for over five years – and I won’t be going back. To think that my money, as a customer, in some way, pays for such a degrading and offensive advertisement! Ultra Tune you should be ashamed, and so should the WatchDog – you clearly are not listening and responding to the public. I have no association with a lobby group and can not understand why you would call label individuals as such.

I don’t know where the ASB gets the idea they are representative of community views. I don’t know of a publicised decision they’ve made recently that I can agree with. Certainly not this one. I signed the petition because the ad is degrading to women.

Obviously the ASB understand nothing about how change.org works. Since when are a bunch of people who happen to agree on something a lobby group? Is it since the people who grease the palms of officialdom aren’t?

These ads are offensive and degrading. I don’t even watch commercial TV any more because of this kind of crap.

Best way to fix Ultratune up for their arrogant and derogatory attitude to women: boycott them. Hit in the hip pocket where it will hurt.

I agree with Jodie & the many others that the Ultra turn ad is disgusting. I sort out both their Facebook site & email their feedback website as an individual & complained. They didn’t respond to either. The ad vilifies women as sex objects & to use bondage style costumes in a PG ad shows how out of touch the people are who rate ads. Totally offended by the ad & I’m not from any lobby group, just a person with some values!!! Chris

I feel that both men and women are degraded in this ad. Not all women who need to buy tyres are ‘into’ rubber, and Heaven help us if all Ultra-Tune workers are as depicted!! He looks disinterested until he sees how the women are dressed which means he would be not be interested in my business since there is no way I would be dressing like that! All Ultra-Tune franchisees should be objecting to being portrayed in such a way!

How many of the comments are from women trying to whinge on every social media platform vs people in the industry? I’d love to hear a creative agency put an opinion out on this.

I signed the petition, not as part of a lobby group, but as a part of society that sees this form of advertising as degrading and inappropriate. In an era where girls and boys are increasingly subjected to adult sexualised messages too easily through advertising mediums, it is our moral obligation as parents to highlight ads like the Ultra Tune rubber one as distasteful and one that should not be aired during prime time. I question how a business like Ultra Tune in such a competitive market refuses to listen to the voices of so many Auatralians, male and female. It’s marketing is I’m sure a window into the culture that exists within the business and would be very interested to hear how it’s female employees feel about what their employer is projecting. It may only be when the bottom line is affected, the executive team will realise that the days of cheap, smutty innuendos are no longer accepted by the public as a selling tool.

Hi,

I am really just confused as to why such a company that would have 50% woman customers would choose such a tacky advertisement. it was not even clever….I think we all need to have a sense of humor but this is just vile and personally I can’t understand how this was approved by the PR team. It is just a really poor representation of a brand…..

It is a shame that a group on men and women who are making a statement about something they find offensive, are dismissed and their vuews discounted. it take courage to say somethig against sexism in Australia and we have all been ridiculed for it – thats a shame.I posted a note on Ultrtunes Face Book page and have since become aware of and a supporter of this group. We know that our advertising standard authority has taken action against advertisers for a great many less complaints than this in the past (I remember when a man in boxer shorts was complained about and the advertiser subsequently removed the ad). It is reassuring to see that we are standing strong against the message this sends to our daughters and sons. Let’s continue to have our voices heard…for the sake if women and girls globally!

I honestly don’t understand why Ultra Tune haven’t pulled the ad yet themselves? It’s just a really dumb ad that is compounded in it’s stupidity by alienating half the population. Do they have some dinosaur PR person spouting “any publicity is good publicity”? Sorry, but that’s not the world we live in anymore. You offend people, they give you a window of opportunity to right the wrong… If you don’t take that opportunity, today’s informed consumer puts you on their mental black list. End of story. Wake up Ultra Tune, and wake up ABS and do your job.

Another example of folks running around looking to be offended. I’m a bloke, I now know UItratune sells tyres. Job done. It would be scary if these two chicks actually turned up in store, but – oh yeah – thats right – it’s a TV ADVERT!

This is the 21 century isn’t it? If a company is trying to drum up business they need to find an advertising firm that affirms the role women have in our economic society. Not one that portrays us as rubber clad sex objects. Get real.

Ultra Tune wake up!! This is a vile, disgusting advertisement. How pathetic that your company has to stoop so low as to demean and highly offend women to get sales – doesn’t say much for the integrity and service of your company. I will not support Ultra tune while this ad. remains on air. To the so called, “professional marketing experts” – just think, that your own precious daughters or sons may become a victim of what you are advocating here as a cheap way to get sales.

This politically correct rubbish aside – its just not a very good ad.

The usual whining suspects. You people obviously have nothing better to do with your sorry lives than try to control other peoples’ lives. Go and do something useful for goodness sake and stop this endless whingeing and whining about every little thing that bothers you. The truth is that sex sells. Get over it.
Methinks the real issue for you people is that you just can’t change attitudes as you would like. We will continue to find ads like this one amusing (even though it is a little bit puerile) despite your best efforts.