Rumor: Dodge's Super Bowl ad was plagiarized

2/4/13

One of the most popular Super Bowl ads to air Sunday was a mere copy of a YouTube video made years earlier, according to Slate.

UNCONFIRMED: The ad may have been a copy, but the farmers don't seem to mind.

Dodge's Super Bowl ad touched millions with sentimental images of farms and farmers. Dodge used a speech by deceased conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey as the soundtrack for the ad. The speech, called "So God Made a Farmer," was originally delivered in 1978 at the Future Farmers of America convention.

But that's not all Dodge borrowed for the ad, Slate reported.

The commercial is strikingly similar to a YouTube video posted by Farms.com in 2011 that attracted more than 1 million views.

That video also uses the 1978 Harvey speech with images of farms and farmers, albeit different ones. The main difference between the two videos seems to be the Dodge Ram truck at the end of the Super Bowl ad.

Farms.com has acknowledged the ad. On its website, the group said "We have replaced our original video with this new version" by Dodge.

The group does not seem to have any issue with the ad, particularly because it is still supporting Future Farmers of America, as the original video did.

While celebrating the 1 million views its video got, Farms.com also gave a nod to Dodge, saying, "New Ram Trucks Super Bowl Commercial 'Farmer' recognizes contribution of Farmers!"

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