Martin Luther King Jr. Commercial for Ram Trucks Is Swiftly Criticized<br />“We found that the overall message of the ad embodied Dr. King’s philosophy that true greatness is achieved by serving others.”<br />Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U. S., which owns Ram, said in a statement<br />that it was honored to work with the group to celebrate Dr. King’s words about the value of service.<br />Bernice King, one of Dr. King’s daughters, is responsible for approving his “words or imagery for use in merchandise,<br />entertainment (movies, music, artwork, etc) or advertisement.” It said that included the Super Bowl commercial.<br />The response put Ram in a position that advertisers dread — misfiring with a commercial in the Super Bowl,<br />which sells 30 seconds of airtime for upward of $5 million and is watched by more than 100 million people.<br />Ram approached Dr. King’s estate about using his voice in the commercial, said Eric D. Tidwell,<br />the managing director of Intellectual Properties Management, the licenser of the estate.<br />“We worked closely with the representatives of the Martin Luther King Jr. estate to receive the necessary approvals,<br />and estate representatives were a very important part of the creative process every step of the way,” the company said.<br />Susan Credle, global chief creative officer of the agency FCB, marveled at the speed of the online backlash around the ad<br />and said it showed the risks of wading into social commentary, especially during an event like the Super Bowl.
