Eastbourne funeral directors launch TV advertisement

Two adorable lifelong best pals are the focus of a new TV advert, which brings Payne & Sons Funeral Directors of Eastbourne to the small screen for Sky TV and Virgin Media audiences this month.

The humorous duo, Maureen and Brenda, are part of a new advertising campaign for Funeral Plans.

The pals – played by actresses – are seen attending various funerals of their friends and making wry comments from the back of a church about the choices and details of their friends’ funerals, and how they might have benefited from having a funeral plan. 

The campaign is for Choice Funeral Plans provided by Alternative Planning Company (APCL).

Payne & Sons Funeral Directors is a trading name of Funeral Partners Ltd which is an appointed representative.

Funeral Director Trevor Boorman from Payne & Sons Funeral Directors explained: “The aim of the advert is to raise awareness of our Choice Funeral Plans in the local communities we serve, highlighting the benefits and letting people know they can buy a funeral plan at Payne’s, and that their funeral will be conducted by people they know and trust as per their personal wishes, when the time comes.

“The team and I are very excited to have our funeral home name appearing on TV and be part of this campaign. The adverts have turned out better than we hoped; the quality and gentle humour combined with clear product messages work brilliantly across the three versions that have been made.”

Humour is, without doubt, a difficult thing to pull off in advertising within the funeral industry. 

But it was a route the team at Funeral Partners decided to take, with support from top agency How Now Creative, after market research suggested audiences were tired of funeral adverts being unnecessarily sombre or irrelevant. 

Kelly Hailou, Marketing Director, Funeral Partners said, “From the first briefing with the creative agency we quickly realised that light humour could set us apart, as our unique position on humour put us there – in the pews, at the funerals, with our lifelong pals – Maureen and Brenda. 

“Maureen and Brenda’s friendship, and its nuances, is the vehicle for positioning the brand within the audience’s heart. We love the characters and I hope our clients do too and can relate to them in some way – they might see similarities to their friends, sister, mum, auntie or even themselves.”

Since Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulation of funeral plans was introduced last year, consumers can be reassured their money is safe. Payne & Sons Funeral Directors wanted to highlight the Choice Funeral Plan product and where they can be purchased locally.

To watch the adverts, go online to www.funeraldirectorseastbourne.com, to learn more about Choice Funeral Plans give us a call on 01323 649 049 or pop into one of our branches in Eastbourne or Hampden Park.