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