Ultra Tune doesn’t deserve women’s business

At a time when domestic violence is in the headlines like never before Ultra Tune has signed another woman abuser to front its campaign, writes Michelle Andrews.

Ever dreamt of starring in an Ultra Tune ad?

If your answer is no, that’s okay. It means you probably respect women and don’t have a rap sheet. Being a washed up celebrity of the 80s and 90s is also a crucial element in being cast in one of the auto repair company’s videos, but increasingly, there’s another line you should aim to have on your resume that’ll give you a cut above the rest.

And that is convicted rapist or convicted domestic violence offender.

In January of this year, the car servicing company’s Executive Chairman Sean Buckley chose retired boxer Mike Tyson as the face of the sixth instalment of the “Unexpected Situations” advertising campaign, which follows the storyline of a group of women that, aesthetically speaking, could best be described as playing the part of clueless bimbos, being rescued from a roadside situation by the help of a man. (Previous ads have also shown the women known as the “Rubbagirlz” accidentally driving off a cliff because they didn’t know the difference between reverse and drive gears.)

Ultra Tune’s Sean Buckley says Charlie Sheen is a “lovely, down to earth guy.” Picture: supplied

In 1992, a jury found Tyson guilty of raping an then 18-year-old woman. Years earlier, his first wife, Robin Givens accused Tyson of domestic violence and was successful in obtaining a temporary restraining order against him during their divorce. So naturally in Buckley’s mind, that made Tyson the perfect person to save three women when his pet tiger ran into the middle of the road.

At the time, the ad received an unprecedented amount of complaints, to which Buckley replied, “I think I know what I’m doing. The ads work brilliantly.”

Now, eight months on, they’ve passed the baton on to Charlie Sheen.

For those playing at home, this is the same Charlie Sheen who in 1997 pleaded no contest to slamming his former partner Brittany Ashland’s head into a marble floor; pleaded guilty to third-degree assault after pressing a knife to his third wife Brooke Mueller’s throat and was forced into a rehabilitation program a decade later; was accused of watching pornography involving boys who looked underage by his ex-wife Denise Richards during their 2006 divorce proceedings. And according to Hollywood madam Michelle Braun, who alleges to have supplied Sheen with sex workers for a number of years, Sheen’s requested “type” of woman was someone who possessed “two tits, a hole, and a heartbeat.”

Ultra Tune’s latest crown jewel, ladies and gentlemen.

Charlie Sheen shot his Ultra Tune commercial with the “Rubbagirlz” while in Australia last week. Picture: Arthur St. John

But according to Buckley, who made a recent Facebook post about his choice of Sheen, we’ve got it all wrong. He’s really just a “lovely down to earth guy”.

If Sheen’s upcoming ad, which was filmed while the star was touring Australia last week, is anything like Tyson’s campaign, Ultra Tune will be flooding Channel 9’s coverage of the 2019 Australian Open, meaning a man convicted of violent behaviour towards women will be in hundreds of thousands of living rooms across the country while we struggle through one of our darkest periods of violence against women.

To date, 60 women have lost their lives to domestic violence already — that’s more than one a week, and more than last year’s grisly total and we’re only in November. By the time the Open rolls around in January, who knows where the statistics will have climbed.

So surely we can all agree that it’s a little hard to change attitudes about violence against women when one of our biggest auto company’s uses our TV networks to push the glamorisation of an abuser to the masses.

Ultra Tune’s Sean Buckley with Mike Tyson in Las Vegas while filming their January commercial. Picture: supplied

But here’s the thing — we are not powerless in holding brands like Ultra Tune to account.

According to CarsGuide, women influence more than 80 per cent of overall car purchasing decisions in Australia. As a consumer group, we are becoming more confident in the automotive space, and clearer on what we do and don’t want when it comes to buying and maintaining our cars.

It’s a shift that gives you hope. And one that Buckley would do well to acknowledge, given that ultimately, his company’s future success depends on us deciding whether or not we line the pockets of companies who promote sexual and domestic abusers, as Ultra Tune has now done not once, but twice.

So if these ads do make it to air during the 2019 Australian Open and you happen to see them, turn to the person sitting next to you and tell them about Charlie Sheen’s history. Tell them about Ultra Tune’s penchant for championing violent men. And then Google the contact details of the nearest car servicing competitor.

Michelle Andrews is a freelance writer and podcast host from Melbourne. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

*Editor’s note: this article has been updated to clarify that Channel 9 will air the 2019 Australian Open, not Channel 7, as previously stated.

Originally published as Ultra Tune doesn’t deserve women’s business