Co-op Funeralcare and Lucky Generals Encourage the UK to Open Up about Funeral Wishes

Co-op Funeralcare, the UK’s leading funeral provider, has unveiled a new advertising campaign with the aim of getting the UK talking about their funeral wishes.

Lucky Generals’ latest brand campaign for Co-op Funeralcare shows real people up and down the country having conversations about how they want their send-off to be. The campaign aims to help normalise this important conversation and encourage people to be open about their funeral wishes earlier in life.

Research (Making Peace with Death report, Co-op) has shown that although 66% of people have thought about their funeral wishes, only 7% feel comfortable talking about it. This makes the arranging of funerals particularly stressful for their loved ones who don’t know what they would have wanted.

Through this campaign, Co-op Funeralcare wants to make this process a little bit less painful for people across the UK. 

From a window cleaner in Manchester who wants “one big party”, to a hiker with a hearing disability signing that she wants her poem to be read, the ad cuts between groups of people from all around the country talking about what they would like their funeral to be.

Shot in a way that drops the viewer in every day, heart-warming and sometimes humorous conversations, the ad aims to normalise a discussion that doesn’t have to be intimidating.

The ad, which was directed by Charlotte Regan at Knucklehead, was filmed on location up and down the country in areas such as Cardiff, Port Talbot, London, Manchester, and Keswick in the Lake District with street casting finding people across the UK. Lucky Generals worked with The Diversity Standards Collective to ensure that the cast was representative of and authentic to minority communities across the UK. 

The TV launches on September 6th, with cinema, social, in branch and digital advertising. 

Mandip Mann, head of marketing and client experience at Co-op Funeralcare, said, “As the UK’s leading funeral provider, we’re encouraging the UK to talk about their wishes with their loved ones, making it clear what they would want for themselves when the time comes. We hope this campaign will help viewers start what can often be a daunting conversation with those around them.”

“The campaign created by Lucky Generals is a first of its kind for us, as we’re aiming to remove the stigma surrounding death, encourage open conversations and elevate the importance of funerals reflecting the personal funeral preferences of the deceased.”

Danny Hunt, creative director at Lucky Generals, said, “Sadly, anyone who has been through bereavement will know the stress of not knowing a loved one's final wishes adding to what is an already horrible time. So, working with Co-op Funeralcare, we’re looking to break the stigma and encourage people to have a conversation. Because talking now will help their loved ones later.”