The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2018
Dodge Ram used MLK's sermon to sell trucks — the sermon where he warned about advertisers
Ram played MLK's 'Drum Major Instinct' over Super Bowl footage. King's same sermon warned about advertisers. His daughter said he would not have approved.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (Ram Trucks) · The Richards Group
What happened
On February 4, 2018 — Super Bowl LII and the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'The Drum Major Instinct' sermon — Ram Trucks aired 'Built to Serve.' The ad overlayed King's voice celebrating service on imagery of Ram owners helping their communities. It ended with the truck and the tagline.
The backlash was immediate. Critics pointed out that later in that exact sermon, King explicitly criticised advertising: 'We are so often taken by advertisers... those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion.' King had warned his congregation about car commercials specifically. Ram had taken a sermon that condemned advertising and used it as one.
Bernice King, MLK's daughter and CEO of The King Center, tweeted '#MLK would not have approved.' She noted that Intellectual Properties Management, the King Estate's licensor, had approved the ad — but neither she nor The King Center had endorsed it. FCA defended the ad, stating it had 'worked closely' with the estate. The ad was not pulled and no formal apology was issued.
Why it happened
- The sermon contradicted the ad: King's 'Drum Major Instinct' explicitly warned against advertising and consumerism — using it to sell trucks was reversal of meaning.
- The estate approval did not transfer moral authority: Intellectual Properties Management licensed the rights — but Bernice King said '#MLK would not have approved.'
- The anniversary timing made it worse: airing on the sermon's 50th anniversary added calculation — the date was chosen for marketing leverage, not commemoration.
- The non-response was the response: FCA neither pulled the ad nor apologised — treating King's words as a licensed asset closed the conversation.
The lesson
If the sermon you licensed to sell trucks contains a passage warning about advertisers, you have not found an endorsement. Licensing the rights does not license the meaning.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Ram trucks (advertising section: 'Built to Serve' Super Bowl LII controversy)
- Detroit News — Martin Luther King estate approved controversial Ram Super Bowl ad
- BBC News — Super Bowl ad criticised for using Martin Luther King speech
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