Ram Trucks was widely criticized for its Martin Luther King Jr. ad, but the company got clearance from Dr. King’s estate

Slate

The commercial using a sermon Dr. King delivered 50 years ago Sunday was swiftly criticized by The King Center and Dr. King’s daughter Bernice King. But The King Center, started by Coretta Scott King, is a different entity from King’s estate. Ram Trucks said it “worked closely with the representatives of the Martin Luther King Jr. estate to receive the necessary approvals,” a rep for the company told Slate. “Estate representatives were a very important part of the creative process.” Indeed, Eric D. Tidwell, the managing director of Intellectual Properties Management, the licenser of the estate, tells The New York Times: “Once the final creative was presented for approval, it was reviewed to ensure it met our standard integrity clearances,. We found that the overall message of the ad embodied Dr. King’s philosophy that true greatness is achieved by serving others."