The Many Ways Titan Casket Is Boldly Going Where Deathcare Hasn’t Gone Before
Some deathcare professionals may find it easy to think of Titan Casket as an adversary. After all, this Washington-based startup burst onto the scene in 2016 with a mission to disrupt deathcare as we know it, with direct-to-consumer products priced 50% to 85% cheaper than families will find at funeral homes. While a lot of maverick companies have tossed about the “disrupt deathcare” goal, Titan Casket has managed to do just that — but perhaps not only in the way you might think.
Same goals, new approach
Last July, Titan Casket’s Chief Operating Officer Joshua Siegel spoke with Connecting Directors’ Ryan Thogmartin about the company’s vision.
“We wake up every day thinking about how we can help more families plan a funeral that’s affordable and with dignity,” Siegel said. “We do that by offering the widest selection, affordable pricing and incredible service that de-stresses the process for them.”
More than likely, you share sentiments that are similar to Siegel’s. What deathcare professional wouldn’t want to serve families in the best way they know how? But wait … there’s more.
“The other part of what we do is really trying to normalize conversations about death planning,” Siegel continued. “You hear this a lot but it’s what we’ve done over the last six months with being in a Taylor Swift video and a Black Friday promotion and more with an educational message.”
Black Friday? Taylor Swift? You don’t often find these words in deathcare conversations. So here’s some context from Business Insider and Titan Casket’s Instagram account:
When “viral” isn’t part of a cause of death
If you’re looking at these images and thinking, “That’s not at all the way we’ve always advertised,” well, you’re exactly right. No other funeral home or deathcare product has been handpicked to appear in a video with the world’s most famous pop star, and it’s doubtful that you’ve ever posted a sale on caskets to the ‘Gram — especially with such a clever discount code. But Titan Caskets has — and both efforts went viral on social media as well as in traditional news outlets.
“We haven’t seen a huge spike in sales because people don’t need caskets on a whim, but we have seen a huge spike in traffic,” Siegel wrote in Business Insider. “Taylor Swift has a huge following, and several of her followers post the products featured in her videos. One posted about us. What we’re most excited about is there’s now who-knows-how many people who are aware of their rights to get caskets outside funeral homes.”
Celebrity status
Unconventional? Maybe. But effective? Heck, yes. One source estimates that 53% of US adults consider themselves fans of Taylor Swift — and that’s from a survey taken before Swift partnered up with a certain exceptionally popular Super Bowl-winning football player. When it comes time for those estimated 137 million folks to plan a funeral, what casket manufacturer do you think will be top-of-mind?
Believe it or not, the “Anti-Hero” video cameo was just the first of Titan Casket’s partnerships with A-list celebrities. In 2023, Titan announced that actor David Dastmalchian, star of Oppenheimer, Suicide Squad, The Dark Knight, and Dune, among other films, had been named their brand ambassador.
“Dastmalchian is the new brand ambassador for Titan Casket, a company that sells caskets online and helps with end-of-life planning,” reads the October 16, 2023 press release. “As part of his duties, Dastmalchian will appear in marketing materials and be the face of the company.”
Shortly after this announcement, Titan Casket got a call from Maximum Effort, a production company and digital marketing agency founded by none other than actor, entrepreneur, and Wrexham AFC owner Ryan Reynolds. The agency asked Titan if they and their brand ambassador Dastmalchian would like to team up to “kill the tradition” of daylight saving time “in order to save lives.”
Here’s the result of that collaboration:
Once again, Titan Casket has gone viral — for all the right reasons. And COO Siegel took full advantage of the exposure, which presented him a plethora of opportunities to restate his company’s main message to a global audience.
“We hope that millions of families learn about Titan, and that they have federal funeral rights that allow them to buy caskets outside of funeral homes, in advance or at the time of need, and often at massive savings,” Siegel told AdWeek.
No brand ambassador? No problem
In less than seven years of operation, Titan Casket has done what few (if any) deathcare brands have done: get its message across to millions and make itself a household name. Now, to be completely honest, you’re probably not going to achieve the same goal, especially if you’re a one-rooftop location in a small community. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t go viral in your own town by following some of Titan Casket’s tactics.
First, leverage your brand. Maybe you’re not the low-cost leader, but perhaps you have a stunning event space that you can share on Instagram. Maybe you’re not the biggest operation, but you have tons of incredible testimonials you can post on X. And maybe you don’t have a brand ambassador who’s starred in Marvel movies, but you probably have a personable employee who can represent what you’re all about in Facebook Reels.
Next, be consistent with your message, mission, and vision. Anytime Joshua Siegel talks about Titan Casket, he mentions the fact that everyone is allowed to buy a casket from a provider other than a funeral home. Whatever your message may be, make sure that it’s always on the tip of your tongue.
Lastly, don’t be reluctant to talk about death. It’s a topic that’s becoming less and less taboo, and now, more than ever, people are willing to talk about the fact that they will die and what they want their funeral or life celebration to look like. You may not be interviewed by AdWeek or Business Insider about your services, but maybe your local newspaper, TV personality, or golf buddy would be open to a chat!
Titan Casket may sell a common product, they aren’t the enemy. If anything, they’re an ally, blazing a trail through the collective conscience that all deathcare professionals can — and should — follow.
