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but you have to do something in return. Ambassadors work hard for free wheels, writes Owen Thomson of Drive Life. It’s the stuff of motoring fantasy: a major car company wants to deck you out with a brand new set of wheels. There’s a catch though. You will have to be seen driving it, agree to be photographed with it and possibly spruik its virtues to anyone with ears. And you will need to appear at any number of the maker’s events. It sounds like a great deal but it won’t happen unless you’re a highly marketable commodity, probably a revered athlete or respectable celebrity who embodies the values the car company wants to convey to buyers. “We look for ambassadors who are well known to the public and who bring with them the characteristics that you think helps support the brand,” says Holden spokesman John Lindsay. “We’re obviously looking for someone who’s well respected and a credible voice.” The list of current local car ambassadors reads like a Who’s Who of high achievers. There are Michael Klim (Mazda), Matt Moran and Cathy Freeman (Audi), Sir Jack Brabham and Akira Isogawa (Honda), Stephanie Gilmore, Grant Denyer and Michael Clarke (Ford) and Katie Mactier (Mitsubishi). And that’s just for starters. Holden has a raft of personalities on its books, including its V8 Supercar stars who are routinely rolled out at motor shows, dealer functions, charity events and car launches. Then there’s a flourishing association with netball that includes some of that game’s biggest names. “As part of that we gave all the members of the world championship winning team an Astra,” Lindsay says. “But we’ve also got [former Australian netball captain] Liz Ellis on board as an ambassador and we’re going to be working with her to look at how we can support the sport at levels right down to grass roots.”
“He has competed in a couple of Olympics before, hasn’t made the medal tally yet, but has got a pretty good chance of doing so this time around,” Fisher says.