In Sunday’s Super Bowl game, Ram Trucks used parts of Martin Luther’s King Jr.’s speeches:
“If you want to be important — wonderful. If you want to be recognized — wonderful. If you want to be great — wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness. … By giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great … by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great. … You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know [Einstein’s] theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”
The ad begins by noting that King delivered the sermon, “The Drum Major Instinct” on February 4, 1968, 50 years ago from the day of the Super Bowl. The ad shows Americans experiencing moments of struggle and a Ram truck transporting a church. Using civil rights to sell cars in a Super Bowl commercial is more than absurd, it is ludicrous especially when civil rights spoke out against car commercials. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles defended the ad, “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 stated. The commercial simply put went against what the Reverend preached.