Massey Bros Logo 2012 72dpi

Company Overview:

Massey Bros. Funeral Directors is a family owned and managed business which was established in Dublin in the 1930s. Today, it has nine branches across Dublin and arranges funerals all over Ireland.

The company also specialises in the international repatriation of remains from overseas to Ireland and from Ireland overseas as well as ‘pre-planned’ funerals.

Respect, compassion, trust and openness are the hallmarks of the Massey Bros. brand, a service offered with personalised touches and attention to the smallest details.

The company has earned a reputation for providing an all encompassing service where sensitivity and confidentiality are bywords in respect of every requested detail involved in providing for the wishes of the deceased and bereaved. In fact they are inundated with thank you cards and letters of appreciation from the families they serve.

Massey Bros. is a member of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors and subscribes to its Code of Practice and Customer Care Charter. It also supports a charitable trust, The Community Care Foundation, which raises funds in support of families in need and community services across Dublin. A stalwart of the community they are noted for their frequent participation in many other local activities too.

 

What We Did

  • Competitive Analysis
  • Market Research
  • Brand Profiling & Positioning
  • Brand Audit
  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Design
  • New Brand Identity
  • Brand Collateral
  • Uniform Accessory Design
  • Building Signage Design
  • NPD Brand Strategy
  • Relaunch Strategy
  • Brand Direction
  • Brand Mentoring
  • Training
  • Ongoing Marketing Support
  • Project Management
  • Print Management
  • Brand Style Guide

The Challenge:

Massey Bros. operate in a sector which is very conservative, yet they are industry leaders when it comes to product innovation. There are more than 600 funeral directors in Ireland but less than 100 are full-time directors which makes for a very fragmented industry and variable standards.

Massey Bros. also have the added complication, while being the largest and longest established, of having more than six competitors also operating legitimately under the ‘Massey’ name which confuses the public because members of the public think they are all one and the same! In addition to this confusion Massey Bros. itself also operated under two names, Massey Brothers and Patrick Massey, with loyal clients to both names separately, which also required careful management and name consolidation.

 Massey Bros Name Change Dl

Massey Bros. needed to rebrand and reposition themselves, become more distinctive, different and memorable while effectively driving a wedge between them, the ‘5 star’ Massey Bros. and all other players.

Approach:

The project required a brand audit together with re-evaluation of the whole brand proposition and competitive analysis. We regarded market research as an important part of the rebranding process to understand Massey Bros. client preferences, perspectives and purchasing influences. For the majority of people, unless extremely unfortunate, engaging a funeral directors services is not a frequent purchase experience which means understanding the reasons why people choose a particular funeral director are more difficult to discern.

Research was particularly challenging as all participants were very recently bereaved which obviously necessitated immense sensitivity for all concerned. We are extremely grateful to everyone who gave us their time and shared their views with us in very emotive circumstances. Their generosity gave us invaluable insights to the Massey Bros. brand which helped support the direction for the brand strategy moving forward.

Some of the insights that came out of the research was the strongly feminine aspect of the Massey Bros. brand underpinned by masculine strength. The brand is also seen to be very much a five star premium offering because of the level of attention to detail and individual tailoring to very specific client preferences. This along with other significant details learned had a strong influence on the brand model, brand strategy and brand design approach.

The project also required re-evaluation of brand values, developing the brand profile, name change and consolidation, a complete new identity and rollout on all brand collateral, new building signage and vehicle livery, new product development strategy and a proactive PR strategy, all of which, while ongoing has helped achieve much needed distinction. Congruency across all touch points internally and externally was, and still is critical.

Changes were also instigated to how the Massey Bros. people dress through the development of a signature brand colour, purple, and specially designed clothing accessories to create strong visual distinction from other funeral undertakers when seen by the public.

 Aileen Freddie Massey The Haven

In response to a 45% increase in the number of people in Ireland who have no religious affiliation, Massey Bros. created The Haven, Ireland’s first dedicated civil and religious funeral venue which allows families to honour the life of their loved one in their own individual way, and enables overseas or housebound mourners to attend a funeral online.

 Massey Bros The Haven Advert

The Haven was officially launched by the Lord Mayor of Dublin at an event to which stakeholders and community leaders were invited with specially designed invitations using the new brand identity. The event also marked the point at which the new ‘Massey Bros.’ brand was officially introduced, a very distinctive identity which sets it apart from other unrelated ‘Massey’ funeral companies. A press release and creative photography were issued and more than 15 national media interviews took place, during and following the event.

 Massey Bros Funerals Online The Haven

Results:

More than €150,000 worth of print, broadcast and electronic media coverage to date. The launch of The Haven in November 2012 began the process of positioning Massey Bros. as Dublin’s longest established and most innovative firm of funeral directors with uncompromising standards of quality and care towards the families they look after.

 Rte 6 1 News 5 11 2012

They are now seen as highly regarded, industry leaders which has already resulted in additional interview requests from The Irish Times (Innovation Section), www.pocket-lint.com and RTÉ. Significant boost to the company’s reputation within the industry (as evidenced by feedback and congratulations from competitors and the Irish Association of Funeral Directors) and within the media (as evidenced by further requests for interview), not to mention increased letters of appreciation and thank you cards from the families they have served.

Massey Bros. now has in place a new product innovation strategy and has already launched another Ireland first, as featured in the Sunday Business Post and Funeral Times recently. This is an insurance based plan aimed at the large number of people who have made Ireland their home but who would like to have their remains repatriated to the place they called home on their passing.

 Massey Bros Repatriation Flyer

Massey Bros. are also very active hosts, participants and supporters within the community at both social and charity events. They have increased their levels of activity in the greater community at large which has also helped grow brand awareness and increased distinction at multiple levels.

Massey Bros. are also very active hosts, participants and supporters within the community at both social and charity events. They have increased their levels of activity in the greater community at large which has also helped grow brand awareness and increased distinction at multiple levels.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you create, build or re-launch your brand we’d be delighted to talk with you.
T: +353 1 8322724

 Massey Bros Brand Guidelines Cover

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