VW Commercial Takes Ash Scattering to the Masses

Cremation isn’t going anywhere. 2016 marked the first time the cremation rate surpassed that of burial. What we have also noticed is cremation isn’t always about price, baby boomers and consumers in general have a changing value set. People aren’t as stationary anymore. We move often for many reasons like jobs, family and climate change to name a few. In these cases burial doesn’t always make sense and isn’t as valuable to these consumers.

Volkswagen, in their latest commercial, taps into the cremation trend by showcasing a Grandmother and her Grandchildren who take Grandpa (what’s left of him) on a cross country road trip to spread his ashes in the Pacific.

This is a big deal because this commercial is being seen online by millions of people.

Big shoutout to Dan Katz of LA Ads for pointing this commercial out in an email blast he sent this week. In his email Dan asked a very important question:

What are you doing to tell the “other side of the story” about the value of funerals and permanent memorialization?

It’s a great question to ponder and answer. I’d love to hear your thoughts and look forward to reading your comments below.