Has Wibert Jumped the Shark???

Have you ever heard the term “jumped the shark”? Often it’s used to describe a television program which has chosen some outrageous plot line to try and win back audience.

The name derives from an infamous Happy Days episode which had the leather clad cool guy Fonzie, jumping a shark pen while waterskiing.

To viewers, “jumping the shark” spells the beginning of the end. It marks the time when writers and producers lose the spirit of the show and as a result lose the core audience as well.

Product and service companies can do the same. Pressures build and leaders decide on a “radical” course of action. Coca-Cola did it with “new” Coke, though they managed to survive. Others, like People’s Express Airlines or the long distance company MCI, just fade from the scene entirely.

My visit to the NFDA expo floor yesterday makes me wonder about the defacto leader in burial vaults, Wilbert. They left all their products home this year except for a copy-cat, all synthetic vault and a half dozen new urns. Otherwise, they wrapped themselves in a trendy booth, sporting high minded slogans, which looks better suited to a software company.

My initial reaction when seeing this swirl of stylized canvas? “They’ve given up.” Those words came immediately to mind as I walked by the booth.

In fact, I actually found myself angry that one of the strategic companies I have relied on all my life, had thrown away their identity. They now looked embarrassed of the product they produced.

How can I maintain my pride in them and in their product if they have become so disconnected from the important and meaningful work they are supposed to do for me and the families I serve?

Sadly, and for the first time in a couple of generations, my funeral home will start looking for a new strategic partner in burial vaults. We will find a company which remains committed and proud in the products made and the hard (and often dirty) work done to bring quality vaults and peace of mind to the families we serve each year.

Comments

[Ryan]

After reading your thoughts about the big W, I'm curious to find out what you've seen or heard from casket suppliers at the convention.

[Anne]

Personally, I like the Wilbert booth. I like its new innovate look. Yes, it’s got style and that’s a good thing. You’re angry because you think they’ve given up their identity; I like that Wilbert is not afraid to try new things. The funeral industry is full of wonderful traditions, that’s good too, however, look around the show floor. Are you really okay with booth after booth of the same tired ways of displaying product? It’s time something new to push us out of our comfort zone. Because that’s what it is: a comfort zone. Our customers are changing and we as an industry have to change right along with them or be left behind. Wilbert hasn’t given up. Maybe you just missed the message Wilbert is trying to convey.

I have spent more time in the Wilbert booth at this show because they have given me lots of new ideas to grow my business. They have focused not on product, but education to help me attract customers and make more money. Did you sit in on any of the presentations? It’s a competitive world out there, and frankly, I appreciate the help.

You think “They’ve given up.” No, they haven’t. I think they’re growing with the times. You know the last seven words of a dying company? “But, we’ve always done it that way.” Sure it’s safer to keep things as is, it’s certainly easier and less controversial, but sometimes in business jumping the shark is a good thing.

[BT]

Great initial comments. Ryan--take a look at today's casket company essay, that will give you some of my thoughts about their business.

And Anne--In my best estimation, Wilbert has always been in the business (though I don't think they ever articulated it this way) of "keeping memories safe" for the loved ones who return to a grave site over and over again. After the funeral ends and the ground covered over, it is the solace people receive from knowing a grave is safe from outside elements which has kept people making the choice to buy a vault.

In a world of cremation of course, providing vaults will not keep Wilbert growing as a business. Still, they need to get closer to that core purpose than ever before. Not in the same old way, but in new and amazing, contemporary ways. Ways that incorporate technology perhaps and lots of other "soft" ideas (see my casket company post) which will bring comfort to funeral service consumers.

The booth, to my eyes, moves Wilbert further away from those quiet memory moments which they have always helped keep secure for our consumers.

It's wonderful to innovate, just be innovative at the core of your company's purpose. Chasing my consulting and marketing dollar, does nothing but turn me away.

[Michelle]

I can't comment on Wilbert's display at NFDA because I wasn't there, but I can share what I thought of them and the casket companies' displays at the New York Convention in August.

Wilbert did have displays, but had very little material to hand out, and only two representatives to talk with the several hundred funeral directors who walked through the convention floor.

As usual, it was Batesville and Aurora that had the largest displays, and if you took away the logos, they might as well have been the same. Both were pushing their funeral planning/arrangement conference software the hardest.

Quite honestly, I saw it as another distraction that would one way or another add to my bottom line.

I would love to find a company that is concerned about my clients' needs instead of simply mine. While I can be impressed by a casket with a linen interior, that's not something that's really on the minds of my clients. They just want something that will do the job and that's in their price range- the less time they can spend in the selection room, the better.

Sadly, I found most vendors to be that way. They're creating products funeral directors will appreciate, instead of products that FDs will appreciate because of what they do for families.

[BT]

Michelle, I could not have said it better myself.

Thanks for the comment and keep sharing this blog.

Thanks for participating,

BT