Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is without a doubt one of the greatest Americans, and quite possibly the greatest of all. This week marks the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, culminating in his monumental "I have a dream" speech. And whenever something really big happens that attracts my attention, my silly advertising-on-the-brain makes me come up with ads related to the occasion. And once someone becomes hailed as a national treasure, it's only a matter of time before they're exploited for advertising purposes. And this is especially true if you've got your own holiday, like Martin Luther King, Jr. does. And so here are a few silly ad ideas inspired by MLK and his epoch-making March on Washington and historic "I have a dream" speech. (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of my personal heroes, and these are just meant in fun to show how silly ads like this can be, like what the President's Day sales do to Lincoln and Washington and Roosevelt, et. al.)
Breathe Right Strips: MLK and his wife are sleeping in bed at night, and he's snoring, so she sits up, turns to the camera, and says: "I have a dream too, but his snoring keeps waking me up. That's why I'm going to have him try Breathe Right Strips. Then maybe I can share that dream with him all the way through."
Patagonia: The announcer says: "Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's March on Washington, and if like him, you've been to the mountaintop, you know how important it is to have warm clothes, like Gore-Tex jackets and pants from Patagonia!"
Clarks Shoes: The announcer says: "When marching on Washington, in order to make your point in the most effective manner possible, you need to avoid the distraction and pain of uncomfortable shoes. But you also need to make a good impression with nice shoes. That's why you need Clarks! Clarks offer the comfort of a running shoe with the look and style required for formal and business occasions. Marching to make a difference? Make your mark with Clarks!"
Tanning Salon: The announcer lady, sounding like a valley girl, says: "We'd all like to be judged by the content of our character, and not by the color of our skin. But if you show up at the beach this summer all pale and wan with a wintertime body, you know people are going to treat you differently, and not in a good way. So come on down to the tanning salon to get yourself a nice golden brown tan for that perfect beach body today!"
