The next British invasion

January 28, 2022/Business, Cremation/

Americans have been influenced by the Brits for centuries. In the pre-Revolutionary day the colonists enjoyed the tea imported from the East India Tea Company of England until John Hancock’s merchant shop found a way to circumvent the tax on such by buying tea from a Dutch company. Those purchases led to the Boston Tea Party which led to the Revolutionary War and a new country on the world maps.

And, many people love the music of Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Bobby Vee. . . .but there is no doubt that it was the British invasion of the Beatles in 1964 that changed Rock and Roll music in America permanently.

Now, the changes I’m going to talk about next probably are nowhere near as earth shattering as the birth of a new nation or the change in music popularity by a new generation of Americans, but they may take their toll on certain funeral establishments. What is evident in Britain today is that Direct Cremation with No Services (DCNS) is growing greatly in popularity as is the use of Funeral Celebrants to conduct services over ordained clergy. In my opinion, the importation of those phenomena to the United States could have great impact on certain segments of the death care industry.

Funeral Director Daily recently published an article on the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his choice of alkaline hydrolysis for final disposition. You can read that article here. In following up on that article we notice that many in Great Britain, according to this article in The Newcastle World, believe it was the death of rock star Davie Bowie that has exacerbated the incredible growth in Direct Cremation with No Services in Great Britain.

Bowie died in 2016 and it was widely reported that he was cremated with no family or friends in attendance and no services were held. The article goes on to say this, “Since then, this trend has gone mainstream.” This quote also came from the article, “UK-based Funeral Plan Market, the largest funeral plan comparison site, published data that shows eight in ten people (79%) are opting for direct cremation- almost double the number from 2020.”

It’s interesting to note that America’s great talent, Prince, died in that same year, and to my knowledge had that same type of funeral service or should we say, non-service. It’s also interesting to note that some in the United Kingdom point to Bowie’s death care selections as a “tipping point” for DCNS choices while nobody in America points to Prince’s death care choices in the same manner.

While a continuing rise in Direct Cremations with No Services will certainly lead to decreased revenue per case for funeral establishments its less clear what the effect of Funeral Celebrants will have on death care services or memorials. This article (you must leave your e-mail address to access this article) from the Economist tells us that in 1999 50% of all funeral or memorial services in England and Wales were followed by a service conducted by Church of England clergy and in 2019 that number had dropped to 23%.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

At least one well-known and very respected funeral director, Mark Busch of Cleveland told the National Funeral Directors Association’s Memorial Business Journal that he sees them (funeral celebrants) as a positive for funeral service. . . As a matter of fact, here’s what he said in a summation of that article, “You will have people come up to you after they experience a celebrant-led funeral and say, ‘I want a funeral like that.’ “I’ve heard it time and time again throughout the course of my career.” Busch further commented that when breaking down family surveys they have found higher satisfaction among those families that use a celebrant than a funeral administered by a minister.

I don’t have much experience with celebrants, but I’m with Busch on the subject. Especially, if these celebrants are given the time to work longer with the family. I’ve worked with many great pastors and priests, but most have a complete schedule operating their church. . . . funerals just seem to be something that has to be “fit in”. And, if that is the case, it is hard to do justice to what a family may be expecting. And, if that service is lacking in the families’ eyes it may well influence their decisions about having a service the next time a death occurs within the family.

I’m guessing as death care moves forward that there will be a large growth in funeral home on-staff celebrants for use by the families as they wish them to be included in the funeral or memorial services. As a matter of fact, I think the progressive, market share oriented funeral homes are already doing that.

It’s not that these trends in Great Britain, Direct Cremation with No Services and the growth of the non-ordained Funeral Celebrant are two big trains on a collision course, but there is hope that the creative use of celebrants for services may in some way blunt the growing trend of DCNS. The more ways in which we can give meaningful experiences to our client families will certainly help preserve the traditions of services. . . maybe Funeral Celebrants will help with that goal.

So, the next British invasion may be much quieter than the Beatles and sneak up on us in the funeral industry much like the purchase of Dutch tea caught the East India Tea Company and British tax authorities off guard. However, if you can stay out ahead of the game, see it coming, and offer memorable experiences to your client families you will do just fine.