Sometimes, the right celebrity can make the tough topic of treatment much more relatable. To help Lakeview Health reach a wider audience and humanize the issue of addiction and treatment, we partnered with Sirius XM radio to produce live reads with comedian and talk-show host Ron Bennington.
One of America's most popular talk radio personalities, Bennington has openly discussed his own history of addiction and recovery. Addiction has also been a prominent topic of his radio programs over the years.
Bennington is know by his audience for his exceptionally in-depth interviewing style and litany of A-list guests. Whether talking with musical heroes like David Crosby, or film legends such as Quinton Tarantino, Bennington's wide-ranging conversations often lead to an unusual level of openness among his guests - openness that often includes discussion of their own battles with alcohol and drug addiction and recovery. Unlike some talk-show discussions that address addiction in an uninformed, surface-level manner, Bennington and his guests bring a realism and depth that come from first-hand experiences.
The straightforward, informed, and stigma-reducing manner in which Bennington openly discusses addiction and recovery is what made him such a natural fit for a Lakeview endorsement. When identifying a potential celebrity relationship, it is important to evaluate more than just the size of their audience. The celebrities with whom you work reflect on your brand. Because Ron Bennington positions addiction and recovery in a positive light and offers a model for a productive and enjoyable life in recovery, his endorsement adds great value beyond simply exposing the brand to more ears. The way Bennington thinks about the disease of addiction and the ability to overcome its hold over one's life is closely aligned with Lakeview's own views.
Writing for Bennington's unique style is another important part of making this partnership work. Scripts written for Bennington to read on-air were thoughtfully crafted to use Bennington's natural language and include themes he had talked about previously. Writing in Bennington's 'own voice' creates a much more natural read that sounds more integrated with the rest of his program. A listener hardly notices that he's reading a promotional script. But writing in Bennington's own tone offers another advantage in that it triggers him to riff on the theme. When Bennington reads a script that carefully aligns with his previous statements on addiction and recovery, it allows him to naturally discuss this topic further. In some cases, the one-minute sponsored read became a three or four minute discussion of addiction and recovery. Inserting the Lakeview Brand into this positive discussion of addiction and treatment casts the brand in a very positive light.
If you're interested in finding the right celebrity endorsement for your treatment program, please contact us at (781) 937-0667.