The Co-op tackles the thorny subject of death


What
song would you like played at your funeral? It is not a question that people
would expect the Co-op to ask, but two years ago it was the opening gambit of a
two-pronged campaign launched by Britain’s largest funeral director as it
sought to tackle the taboo surrounding death.
As a business operating more than 1,000 funeral homes across the country, Co-op
Funeralcare has long been fascinated by people’s choice of funeral music and
has compiled bi-annual charts since 2002.
But when its own consumer research revealed that more than 50 per cent of
Britain’s adults had not shared their funeral wishes, causing distress for
those left behind, Co-op Funeralcare created a campaign to prompt conversations
about this difficult subject.
In doing so, Co-op Funeralcare sought to position itself as a thought leader on
industry trends and also to raise awareness of its services - tackling the view
that large funeral providers were impersonal. It was a misconception that
Co-op’s funeral directors, who deal with bereaved relatives every day, were
also keen to challenge.
Co-op Funeralcare first analysed the music choices from more than 30,000
funerals it had managed over the previous year. This analysis was combined with
consumer research to establish future funeral music charts.
Frank Sinatra’s My Way proved to be the chart topper in 2016, knocking Eric
Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life off the number one slot, a
position it occupied in 2014.
The Lord’s My Shepherd, All Things Bright and Beautiful and Abide With Me also
featured in the top ten in both years, but the research revealed that hymns are
declining in popularity at funerals while pop is the most requested music
genre.
A national news release revealed the top ten for funeral music, which coincided
with a series of broadcast interviews, including one with broadcaster and
former Smash Hits editor Kate Thornton, who chose Joan Armatrading’s Love and
Affection as her choice. Co-op Funeralcare also created a dedicated funeral
music web page, covering the charts for all music genres, and a Spotify
playlist of the top ten. More than 30,000 people have since clicked through.
The second phase of the campaign launched eight months later. Co-op
Funeralcare’s PR team contacted its more than 1,000 funeral homes for
information on unique tributes they had organised over the previous two years.
After contacting those involved and sourcing photography, the team revealed
five unique tributes, including a Superhero and Halloween themed funerals with
the funeral directors donning She Ra and Darth Vader costumes respectively, and
one where all the guests wore an item featuring leopard print to match the
coffin.
Catherine Turner, head of consumer services PR, says that the trend for
personalised funerals has been growing over recent years as people increasingly
view the service as a celebration of life. She adds: ‘Case studies were an
ideal way to bring this to life, telling the story through a real-life example.
As part of the campaign, we placed a case study with the media, as well as
stats showing the trends.’
In total, the two-pronged approach generated 450 items of media coverage,
including 35 articles in national news titles. The initial case study about a
bespoke funeral prompted media requests for further ones, leading to four
consecutive days of coverage on unique tributes.
Turner adds: ‘I think campaigns like this can have a lasting impact, but only
when there is support and buy-in from the business to actually listen and
change.’
Conversations across social media channels demonstrated Co-op Funeralcare’s
willingness to discuss funerals, initially leading to a 69 per cent uplift in
funeral plan sales. The company has also responded to the changing marketplace,
developing a new range of products, from monthly funeral plans that provide the
service in the event that the customer dies before the instalments have been
fully paid - most plans simply refund payments to date leaving bereaved
relatives with a financial shortfall - and Cremation without Ceremony, where the
service takes place without any mourners. Co-op Funeralcare also launched its
first Rainbow hearse, adding to a pool of seven specialist vehicles, including
a Buddhist-themed hearse, after its own data revealed 23 per cent of people
would like to make their final journey in a personalised hearse.
Its own people are also responding. Across its network of 1,000 funeral homes, local
bereavement groups are being launched by staff to provide an opportunity for
people to gather and share memories of their deceased relatives and friends.
But campaigns such as these need to be ongoing, says Turner. ‘It’s also
important to keep talking about the importance of an issue like this, as views
and understanding cannot be changed overnight.’ This need to ‘keep talking’ has prompted the Co-op to build on last year’s
campaign and launch the biggest ever survey into death, dying and bereavement.
The Co-op has partnered with several national charities, such as Sue Ryder,
Dying Matters, Cruise, the British Red Cross and Child Bereavement UK and
Remember a Charity. The survey, which has had more than 25,000 responses to
date, is ongoing.
On completion, a detailed report of the findings will be released and Co-op Funeralcare will host a round table discussion with key influencers and charities to address some of the issues raised. ‘As a business, we don’t simply want this to be a campaign that just achieves media cut through, but instead one that can genuinely change attitudes and raise the importance of this subject,’ says Turner. ‘We are committed to fully considering the findings and using these to inform solutions to the issue.’



