Where’s the best place to market beer and soft drinks? How about a funeral? Jacquie Golding- Duffy reports on new marketing strategies
Funerals, believe it or not, are marketing opportunities that cannot be missed. At least, that’s the view of some beverage companies.
Sales representatives and some distributors claim that sympathising with family and friends of the deceased and showing relatives that they care by supplying refreshments free of charge can secure their companies a few more customers.
South African Breweries (SAB) and Pepsi are unknowingly tapping into this consumer market via their distributors and retailers, who identify ”avid supporters” of the brand — anyone from shebeen owners to someone who may have bought several cases of the product for a party.
Both companies categorically deny that they encourage such activity.
SAB public affairs manager Adrian Botha says it ”is definitely not company policy” to market at funerals, but he says retailers may be using the products sold to them in various other ways which SAB has no control over.
Pepsi also adamantly denies that the handing out of freebie products at funerals is a marketing ploy, but concedes that the initiative is often taken by sales representatives and distributors who work in township and rural areas.
Monwabisi Fandeso, chief operating officer and president of New Age Beverages — a bottler and franchisee of Pepsi — says one has to respect funerals. But, he says, he knows of occasions when sales representatives contributed Pepsi products to the funerals of some customers.
”Sponsorships and contributions have taken place that I know of, but it is more a point towards relationship-building between customers and sales reps. If there’s a bereavement and the person was supportive of our brand, we find that often sales representatives and distributors feel they have to acknowledge that and offer to contribute something.”
He says it’s not ”simply a marketing opportunity”, but more of ”making the company’s presence felt” at such occasions.
Chief marketing executive of SABC’s Radio Active, Mandi Titi, doesn’t see the problem. It is a ”cultural thing”, she says, where death is viewed in a positive light and funerals allow marketeers ”an opportunity to educate clients and penetrate the market”.
Titi stresses that the marketing actually takes place not at the funeral but afterwards at the ”get-together” or after-tears reunion.
She believes that marketing at funerals should ”not be seen in a negative light”. The problem with marketeers (who in her opinion are ”mostly white”) is that they are out of touch with what actually happens in the black community.
‘You see, people are always talking about reaching the black market and to do that they have to understand that there are big cultural differences. A party after a funeral might seem strange to most whites, but it attracts large crowds of people and is a norm in most black communities. It is on these occasions that people can reach potential clients, since they have a captive audience.
”You must have respect at a funeral and often what happens is that SAB will park their trucks three houses away from where the actual funeral is happening. Pepsi may be available for people during the ceremony and afterwards people can go to the place where the beer is kept.”
She says she believes that support shown on behalf of companies indicates to consumers that they do care about their customers. Titi says she knows that relatives of the deceased appreciate the interest shown on behalf of a company because she has attended funerals where company representatives have spoken a few words during the ceremony and afterwards donated their brand of product.
Titi is also responsible for an African language radio show which broadcasts funeral notices and details. The show, she says, is broadcast in all nine African languages and attracts a large listenership. She feels that before and after the show, advertisers should plug their wares, since they already have a captive audience.
Young and Rubicam managing director for business development in Africa, Doug Maritz, says he has ”no problem” with companies sponsoring or contributing towards a funeral after-party only ”if it is not directly involved in the actual funeral event”.
”Funerals are costly and in some ways companies are assisting the families ,but the funeral itself is sacrosanct and should be respected by marketeers,” Maritz says.
Hunt Lascaris media director Lyndall Campher disagrees. Campher says the ”programme environment” is important.
”To market directly or indirectly at a funeral is like advertising a new model of car on television immediately after you’ve seen footage of a car accident on the news. There are other ways of capturing an audience in a more appropriate environment.”