Dodge should use MLK speeches in their Super Bowl advertising again, soon!

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Today's mini-drama is about the use, by Dodge Ram, of part of Martin Luther King's "drum major" speech during the Super Bowl yesterday.

A few people have noticed it, or complained.   In the media, this is called "a social media disaster."   All three of those sad people.   I did note that the New York Times complained, but then they also hated the Justin Timberlake half-time show.   I think the journalists at the Times were just having a very very sad day.

As I see it. the concern is that the Dodge truck line brand is pretty aligned with white undereducated men.   (In one recent ad during the playoffs, Dodge positioned itself for viewers as "raising the bar."   To make sure their intended buyers didn't miss the point, they had a truck next to a big I-beam with the words 'The Bar' etched into it.)

Wait...maybe that was a Ford truck ad.   Whatever.   Same difference.

Under this "white-only companies should not be able to license MLK speeches" theory, for instance, if a consciously social-do good company (let's say Tom's of Maine) used this speech in an ad, it would be OK.

I agree that it doesn't seem like a wise choice for the Dodge agency or ad team--after all, if many of their potential buyers don't really like black people, using Martin Luther King's third most famous speech would tend to diminish sales.   Did Dodge want to diminish sales to white men?   Maybe it's part of some long term brand transition plan.

Here's the tag line for the new campaign:

"Buy a huge Dodge truck and join all your immigrant and minority friends!" 

This tag line doesn't work for me, in that I now feel no more urge to buy a Dodge truck than I did before I coined it for their advertising company.  But then I'm a radical left guy, so what does my opinion matter.

So, confusing advertising, I'll agree.   But, hey, King's speech was the most educated, thoughtful, and inspiring thing available on the Super Bowl (it was a great game, and Justin was great, but King's speech was better).   I doubt many of the 150 million viewers of Super Bowl LII had ever heard this famous speech.

So, dear Dodge:   Thank you.  Sincerely.   Please, if your ad budget can survive it, keep bringing these amazing cultural items to the mass market.   I learned a lot, and was reminded of the power of civil rights in our race-defined country.  I thought it was a great ad, and I appreciate that you had the courage to air it.

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