A little over two years ago Optus was in a buoyant mood as it welcomed tennis player Ash Barty – who had retired about five months earlier – into the corporate fold.
Barty, the company said in a 2:30am release on August 17, 2022, had signed on to become Chief of Inspiration at Optus. No, seriously.
“The partnership will see Barty feature in a mix of content initiatives, employee engagement programs and community-focused campaigns aimed at connecting Australians together and inspiring them to say ‘yes’ to their dreams, goals, and ambitions.”
Optus said in the release that the CEO at the time, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, “believes Barty epitomises the brand’s values and that the partnership will demonstrate the power of Yes to all Australians”.
“At Optus, we pride ourselves on our role in keeping Australians connected to what matters most – from everyday life through to times of national crisis, we support communities and businesses to thrive in the digital age.
Daniel Ricciardo, Optus.
“Ash is a true Australian icon and role model – her performance on the courts epitomised a challenger spirit, determination and strength, while her community work has demonstrated the power of optimism in action. We’re thrilled to bring this partnership to life and inspire more Australians to enable their tech futures and unlock the power of ‘yes’.”
Barty was quoted as saying she had “decided to prioritise Ash Barty the person, over Ash Barty the tennis player, and in doing so I’ve realised I can help so many more people through my charity work, my role as the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador, and now with Optus as their Chief of Inspiration.
“It’s very humbling that my story has inspired so many people, but the reality is there are millions of everyday Australians who have the courage and commitment to say ‘yes’ just like I did. I welcome the opportunity to encourage more people to say yes to the things they love.”
Alas, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin was gone about a year later, following the infamous Optus Outage.
And now, the deal with Ash Barty has ended, with the Australian Financial Review reporting that both Barty and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo had removed their roles with Optus from LinkedIn.
“A spokeswoman confirmed both had left shortly before the start date of incoming chief executive Stephen Rue, who arrived from the NBN in September,” the paper said. “‘The decision was taken as we looked to rebuild customer trust and focus on the fundamentals that we know are important to them – a resilient network, great value products and services, and simple, efficient customer service’.”
Ricciardo joined Optus in 2020 as Chief of Optimism. No, seriously.
Oops.
At 12:30am on September 18, 2020 (these people work around the clock!) Optus announced the “unique two-year partnership that will see Daniel inspire optimism for Optus staff and customers as he brings a fresh and upbeat approach to a range of business and customer facing initiatives”.
“Daniel is a world-class, globally renowned go-getter who understands the importance of unrelenting high-performance, innovation through technology, testing and learning and communication and teamwork,” said an Optus marketing type at the time.
“It’s his appreciation of precision, accountability and flawless execution that we will tap into to engage and energise our amazing people and customers.
“Just like our 5G network, Daniel is all about speed and performance and is the perfect partner to work with.”
Optus stated that “Ricciardo is excited to partner with a brand that represents his core values and aspirations”.
That deal, which was extended beyond its initial two years, has now expired.
A PR video on the Optus website featuring Barty and Ricciardo has the message: “Playback Denied: Unavailable.”
Last week we reported on the latest Roy Morgan research into Australia’s most trusted and distrusted brands. For the sixth consecutive quarter Optus was the country’s most distrusted brand, ahead of Woolworths and Coles.
We also reported on how a sloppy NBN service was impacting the ChannelNews office in North Sydney.
