She made you deaf, now she wants to help

From: Arizona Republic, AZ - Jun 1, 2004

Jun. 1, 2004 12:00 AM

You'd figure people with hearing aids would use them to tune out the kind of shrill sounds Pat Benatar makes. Guess again.

Energizer Holdings Inc. has enlisted the '80s spandex rocker to boost sales of hearing-aid batteries.

"From Aerosmith to the Rolling Stones, our music defines us, but all those years of rockin' are beginning to take a toll," Benatar says in a brochure for Energizer's new marketing campaign, "It's Hip to Hear."

Benatar, 51, does not need a hearing aid, but Energizer is betting that she will break the stereotype associated with wearing one.

Matt Thornhill, founder of the Boomer Project, a consulting firm that helps companies reach the over-50 market, said the choice of Benatar is "fabulous."

"Boomers buy eyeglasses by the tens of thousands," he says. "As they start to lose their hearing, I don't think they'll have a reluctance to (buy) hearing aids."

Unless it means they'll be have to listen to Hit Me With Your Best Shot again.

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