Ultra Tune on the nose with TV viewers

Ultra Tune Australia has put itself in the spotlight over a series of advertisements that have aired on free-to-air television.

The servicing chain features in three of the top 10 most complained about ads during the first half of 2017, according to new figures issued by the Advertising Standards Bureau.

Of the more than 2700 complaints issued with the bureau, an Ultra Tune ad depicting two women using a fire extinguisher to put out a car fire drew the ire of some 357 people, claiming top spot as the most complained about ad.

Separate Ultra Tune ads ranked in at 5th and 7th respectively in the top 10, and similarly raised concerns for around discrimination and vilification, being exploitative and degrading, sex/sexuality/nudity or violence.

“Discrimination and exploitation concerns made up the majority of complaints against the 10 most complained about advertisements for the first half of 2017, continuing the trend from 2016,” a statement from the Advertising Standards Bureau said.

This isn’t the first time Ultra Tune has courted controversy over its advertisements.

In January, Ultra Tune Sean Buckley told Mumbrella the brand is not out to be deliberately inflammatory.

“We didn’t know they’d be controversial,” he said of Ultra Tune’s recent ads. “I know you’re laughing, but we didn’t. We thought people would take them [the ads] in the light-hearted way in which they were intended.”