While Ram Trucks may have gotten it right with their Icelandic Vikings Super Bowl commercial Sunday, their other ad using a famous sermon by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a miss. And it left many on social media asking: Did Ram actually use King’s words to sell trucks?
What makes it more confusing is in the actual February 4, 1968, speech, “The Drum Major Instinct,” King speaks about the danger of overspending on items like cars and discussed why people “are so often taken by advertisers.”
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S., which owns Ram, said it was honored to work with the King Estate to celebrate Dr. King’s words about the value of service, but The King Center, the Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to King’s legacy, denied approving the use of his speech in the commercial.
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 King Center (@TheKingCenter) February 5, 2018
While we loved the images of American farmers and ranchers in this year’s commercial, the speech may have not been the best choice to accompany them. After all, it’s hard to top their 2014 Super Bowl commercial:
