Super Bowl pickup truck ad outrages viewers by using MLK speech
I have a dream … of a fully-loaded 4×2 Ram pickup truck?
Ram Trucks outraged some Super Bowl viewers with a commercial that used a recording of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech to push car sales.
The 30-second ad — which is seemingly meant to be sincere and patriotic — featured evocative images of blue-collar Americans at work, with family and giving back to their communities. A speech made by Dr. King on Feb. 4, 1968 (50 years ago today) plays as voiceover throughout. Explains the ad’s description: “In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ram truck owners also believe in a life of serving others.”
But viewers used terms like “tone deaf” and “shameful” and “bad taste,” and even the foundation devoted to preserving King’s memory issued a statement distancing itself from the ad.
“The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism” — Real MLK Jr, 3/3/1967
Buy Dodge trucks — Fake MLK Jr, 2/4/2018— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 5, 2018
I don't know about y'all, but I am pretty offended by Dodge using MLK to sell those over-sized global warming machines they call trucks!!
— Brian Earl Jenkins (@JENKOBASS) February 5, 2018
The King family has vehemently defended MLK's likeness, voice, speeches, etc. FOR DECADES. To hear him now... on an ad... to sell... trucks.... is unsettling.
AF.— April (@ReignOfApril) February 5, 2018
Mlk who died striking with workers decrying militarism & imperial war makers - used to sel shiny trucks with marching soldiers - corporate America nbc nfl should be ashamed-
— John Cusack (@johncusack) February 5, 2018
MLK is a legend a profit a Hero?? Using his speech from fifty years ago to sell Dodge Trucks is inappropriate
— Alana Starkey (@StarkeyAlana) February 5, 2018
@Dodge you really screwed the pooch on that MLK superbowl ad. Tone deaf and just plain shameful. Did you learn nothing from that horrific @kendallJenner ad? What the hell.
— Mike Kelly (@mikepup) February 5, 2018
Throwback to the exact moment a Dodge exec talked himself into approving that MLK pitch pic.twitter.com/GZolt1HHpb
— Nick Berardini (@NickBerardini) February 5, 2018
Using MLK to sell @Dodge trucks - bad taste is too tame of a description. #forshame
— Rob Reardon ? (@rreardon_ST) February 5, 2018
There’s a few things you never do:
1. Compare anyone to Hitler
2. Get into a battle of wits with a Sicilian
3. Use MLK to sell products.
Got it @Dodge— Mark (@Zay_Jack) February 5, 2018
The King Center — the memorial nonprofit founded by Coretta Scott King to honor MLK — released a statement making it clear they did not approve 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 King Center (@TheKingCenter) February 5, 2018
But not everybody was against the ad:
I admire the ad not only for MLK’s words..
But Dodge showed courage in knowing they would lose customers from Trump’s base... but did the ad anyway! It was in a sense Patriotic— Bobby X (@CasablancaRic) February 5, 2018
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