Martin Luther King Jr.’s family have distanced themselves from a controversial Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial.
The ad for Ram Trucks used King’s voice from his Drum Major Instinct sermon that he delivered exactly 50 years ago on February 4, 1968.
The commercial instantly sparked outrage as viewers took to social media to accuse Dodge of using the late civil rights leader’s words to sell trucks.
Dr King’s voice rings out as the ad for Ram Trucks shows a series of ordinary people in acts of love. Americans are shown riding horses, teaching classes and volunteering outside.
The Super Bowl ad for Ram Trucks used Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice from his Drum Major Instinct sermon that he delivered exactly 50 years ago on February 4, 1968
In his speech, Dr King called on people to show greatness through kindness and service.
The point? Ram’s tagline: ‘Built To Serve.’
Dr King’s daughter Bernice King and the The King Center – the living memorial to MLK – immediately distanced themselves from the ad.
‘Neither @TheKingCenter nor @BerniceKing is the entity that approves the use of #MLK’s words or imagery for use in merchandise, entertainment (movies, music, artwork, etc) or advertisement, including tonight’s @Dodge #SuperBowl commercial,’ the memorial tweeted.
When someone asked if Dr King’s children had allowed his voice to sell trucks, Bernice responded: ‘No’.
However representatives of the King Estate, which is separate from The King Center, told the Slate on Sunday night that they did approve the use of the sermon in the Super Bowl ad.
The commercial instantly sparked outrage as viewers took to social media to accuse Dodge of using the late civil rights leader’s words to sell trucks
Dr King’s daughter Bernice King and the The King Center – the living memorial to MLK – immediately distanced themselves from the ad
When someone asked if Dr King’s children had allowed his voice to sell trucks, Bernice responded: ‘No’
‘When Ram approached the King Estate with the idea of featuring Dr King’s voice in a new ‘Built To Serve’ commercial, we were pleasantly surprised at the existence of the Ram Nation volunteers and their efforts,’ a statement read.
‘We learned that as a volunteer group of Ram owners, they serve others through everything from natural disaster relief, to blood drives, to local community volunteer initiatives.
‘Once the final creative was presented for approval, it was reviewed to ensure it met our standard integrity clearances. We found that the overall message of the ad embodied Dr King’s philosophy that true greatness is achieved by serving others. Thus we decided to be a part of Ram’s ‘Built To Serve’ Super Bowl program.’
But it didn’t stop viewers from slamming the ad with many saying it was in poor taste.
‘Mlk who died striking with workers decrying militarism & imperial war makers – used to shiny trucks with marching soldiers – corporate America nbc nfl should be ashamed,’ actor John Cusack tweeted.
Another person tweeted: ‘@Dodge perhaps you should think of naming your next vehicle #CONTEXT. Because you need some with the misconstrued MLK quote.’
