Philadelphia, PA
- A treatment center with eight east coast locations and headquarters in King of Prussia, PA last week rolled out a bold new television and social media ad campaign they’re calling “The Reality of Addiction: I Wish I Knew.” The campaign hits hard amid a national opioid epidemic that is killing 130 Americans every day and has received passionate feedback from audiences.
Addiction Treatment Center New Ads Highlight Realities of Addiction
“The spots are graphic, they’re edgy, and, for some, they're a bit shocking,” says William Cassidy, Creative Director for Recovery Centers of America (RCA), the treatment center behind the ads. “This was intentional, to be clear. We believe that, as a leading provider of substance abuse treatment and a company with an unquestionably large platform, we must expand the conversation around addiction and recovery to save lives.”
Many families suffer in silence and, sometimes, are in denial that their loved one has a problem, or do not realize the seriousness of it. Many are afraid to seek help or don’t know where to turn, explains Cassidy. The fact is that addiction does not discriminate and that the refusal or inability to acknowledge its severity can have fatal consequences. Addiction does not have a uniform look, and the ad is meant to remind people that, with 72,000 Americans losing their lives to addiction last year, if you see symptoms of addiction in a loved one, there is help out there.
Societal pressure and stigma are surely factors in many of the preventable opioid overdose deaths that occur each year. RCA wants to put an end to this perceived shame by putting faces to it via the ads. The spots feature the voice-over of a mother who wishes she had the knowledge and assistance to get help for her son, who, we learn at the end, has passed away.
Over 2,000 people died from opioid overdoses last year in Massachusetts, over 3,000 in New Jersey, over 1,600 in Maryland, and over 5,400 in Pennsylvania, the states where RCA has locations.
“Saving lives is the point of our message and will continue to be the focus of our company,” says Terri Malenfant, Director of Public Relations. “Addiction is not shameful and ought to be treated like the medical condition that it is. Treatment works.”
