April 3rd, 2006
Chris Farley's Image Geing Used in Ad Campaign for Addiction Treatment Prometa
By Jennifer London
Today Show (NBC)
MATT LAUER, co-host:
Before we get to that, a very unusual ad campaign. Chris Farley always took center stage when he starred on “Saturday Night Live.” Now he’s in a starring role again, years after his death, and it’s raising some eyebrows. Here’s NBC’s Jennifer London.
JENNIFER LONDON reporting:
When comedian Chris Farley died eight years ago, “Saturday Night Live” and the entertainment world lost a legend. But Farley’s image is back, looming larger than life in a new ad campaign with a message for young drug users: It wasn’t all his fault.
Mr. TERREN PEIZER (Hythiam, Inc.): Our message is that maybe Chris Farley would still be here today if there was a protocol like Prometa around back then.
LONDON: Farley’s family approved the ads for Prometa, a new treatment for alcohol and drug addiction. It’s the first time they’ve allowed his image to be used commercial since he died of a drug overdose.
The first ad appears on a billboard overlooking Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. A bloated Farley appears to be smiling, but not everyone is happy about the message or the idea of using a dead celebrity to sell a product.
Mr. GARY RUSKIN (Commercial Alert): It’s a particularly tasteless way to exploit a dead person for commercial purposes.
LONDON: But Farley’s family doesn’t see it that way, saying they believe the ads can help raise awareness about addiction treatments. The anti-drug foundation they run in Chris’ name was paid $25,000 for the use of his image.
Mr. PEIZER: They want to help people. They--they don’t want to see happen--what happened to Chris happen to other people.
(Clips from TV commercials)
LONDON: Dead celebrities have appeared in ads before, selling everything from beer to sports cars. And who could forget Apple’s “Think Different” campaign, featuring Mahatma Gandhi?
Mr. RUSKIN: Part of the problem here is that dead people don’t get to talk for themselves, and so they’re just being harnessed in an ad campaign.
LONDON: No one can say for sure if Farley would approve of the new campaign, but his family knows this: After losing him at just 33 years old, addiction is no laughing matter. For TODAY, Jennifer London, NBC News, Los Angeles.
LAUER: Tom Farley is Chris Farley’s older brother.
Tom, good morning. Nice to see you.
Mr. TOM FARLEY (Chris Farley’s Brother): Good morning, Matt.
LAUER: Talk to me about this. Why did the family agree to do this?
Mr. FARLEY: Well, because the bottom line is that it is going to help people, and we’ve used Chris very well with the Chris Farley Foundation for the past six years, and--and our ability--unmatched ability to get kids’ and teens’ attention has been, you know, proven time and again. So we’re happy to find a--a program like this that can utilize the same, you know, brand assets that Chris still has.
LAUER: I guess you’ve heard some people are saying, well first of all, how do you know that this par--why--why endorse this particular drug or alcohol program? How do you know it might have helped or not helped Chris?
Mr. FARLEY: Well, we--we have no idea whether it would have helped or not helped Chris, but he--Chris was certainly open to any of the, you know, treatments. He went--he was in everything from, you know, the boot camps to the spas to everything else. So he would have probably embraced anything that would have helped him with this addiction. But you know, this is--this is something that takes into effect a lot of different aspects of the addiction, and I just think, you know, it’s a--it’s a good--good start to--to helping people, whether it, you know, works or not, that’s--you know, we’ll see. But so far it looks like the tests for Prometa look--look very promising.
LAUER: If the goal’s to help people, I guess the other question being raised is why take the $25,000?
Mr. FARLEY: Well, you know that--that’s just kind of the price for--I mean everyone, you know, knows that this is--it’s an ad campaign, and we’ve--we’ve turned down so many offers for you know, Bobbleheads and Ringtones for--for three, four, five times that. I mean it’s really not about that. This is--it’s not a lot comparatively, and again it’s all going--it’s going right back to doing what the foundation’s been doing for six or seven years, and that’s helping people, you know, get better.
LAUER: And in the eight-plus years, Tom, since Chris passed away, has the family stopped and thought about, you know, what they could have done? Signs they could have seen? You said he was in all these programs, clearly everybody in the family knew.
Mr. FARLEY: Yep.
LAUER: But--but there must have been a lot of second-guessing on the part of the family members.
Mr. FARLEY: Oh, my gosh, yes, yeah. We--we think about it all the time, and you know, luckily, you know, Chris’ experience has got us all kind of thinking about what--what we do with--with our own lives and behaviors. But I think certainly we would have come together as a family a lot sooner had we really realized the depth of--of addiction a little bit better, so, yeah.
LAUER: Tom--all right. Tom, thanks so much for talking to us. I appreciate it.
Mr. FARLEY: All right, appreciate it. Thanks, Matt.
LAUER: OK.