Ram Trucks Commercial Analysis

On Super bowl Sunday, Ram Trucks released a commercial featuring one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s, most well-known sermons “The Drum Major Instinct”. This one-minute advertisement has begun to cause an uproar in our nation. Many are upset with how Ram interprets Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. words throughout the commercial; however, I strongly disagree. This advertisement was based on us as a nation, and our desire to not only dream but more importantly to serve.
In the commercial Martin Luther King Jr. stated,” All you need is a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love” (King). Overlooking the fact that this commercial is a truck ad, this message needed to be put out there to today’s society. When many hear the name Martin Luther King
Ram Trucking considers their consumers as a united nation; meaning that they will stand together through the good and the bad and serve regardless. According to Ram Nation, “They serve because they’re kind folks with big hearts. They serve because they feel a shared responsibility and commitment to their family and community. They serve because they’re men and women of their word. They serve because they know the world could use a little more kindness” (Ram). Ram Nation has service projects posted monthly taking place in cities that need a helping hand. From being emergency weather rescue aid, to repairing human societies, plantings trees, landscaping, harvesting crops, and the list doesn’t stop there! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the one whom inspires the group to keep going out and serving
Naturally, I got the official statement—something to the effect of, "We worked with his relatives, we meant well, etc." By the time I got around to writing this, I had assumed that the flare-up of anger I felt when I first saw the commercial would have died out. It was, after all, only a Super Bowl ad. But the resentment didn't go away. It sort of smoldered. I'm still incensed, as are many others, that anyone would have thought it was a good idea to lift the words from a sermon about leadership and use it for a sales pitch—in the preacher's own voice, no less. Especially when a good bit of the sermon deals with avarice-inducing advertising and the adverse effects of the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses mentality upon those of modest or limited economic means” (Preston and Ram 3).
In the Drum Major Instinct, Dr. King spoke paragraphs about automobiles however it was not in a positive light. To paraphrase, he believed that one should spend their time serving others first and by doing so you will never have to worry about living above your means. The problems of this world occur when we crave for attention and spend more than we have in our budget. The ironic part of it all is that Dr. King does mention ways of how people spend their money rashly and the number one way was by purchasing a new motor vehicle; however, we do not see this part of the sermon in the