Dodge Ram ad draws backlash for using MLK speech
ATLANTA - A Dodge Ram Super Bowl ad has sparked controversy after using audio clips of a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.
App users: View full article here
The ad showed people doing volunteer work, and was meant to highlight a volunteer program backed by Dodge, but there are now concerns the ad commercialized the Civil Rights icon.
The firm that manages MLK's intellectual property said it approved the ad, but the King Center weighed in, pointing out it is not the entity that approves the use of King's words or imagery for merchandise, entertainment or ads. That included the Super Bowl 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
King Family Pastor Dr. Raphael Warnock is just one of many who objected to a Super Bowl commercial that uses a 1968 sermon from Dr. Martin Luther King to sell Ram trucks.
"The theme of the commercial was service, that's half the truth. Dr. King's work was always in service to justice and truth. We don't see anyone in that commercial voting, or fighting for the vote, or fighting for civil rights," Rev. Warnock complained.