As the community newspaper serving Georgia's Cobb County since 1866, the Marietta Daily Journal has long enjoyed a strong relationship with the region's largest funeral home, Mayes Ward-Dobbins. But with a growing preference for online memorialization and rising costs, the funeral home has struggled to persuade its families to invest in an obituary purchase.
“The funeral home told us how much they want to stay in front of the Journal's loyal obituary browsers; it's an important part of their pre-need sales strategy,” says Otis Brumby, publisher of the Marietta Daily Journal. “But once their families see prices, it's a tough sell for them.”
With a 30 percent obituary placement rate drop from the funeral home in 2024, “I knew we needed to do something to turn this relationship around and make it easier for the funeral home to place obituaries with us,” says Brumby.
Brumby brought the problem to longtime obituary service provider Legacy to brainstorm some creative options. Legacy and the Journal crafted a custom subscription package for Mayes Ward-Dobbins that offered the funeral home unlimited obituary placement for one monthly flat fee, both in print and online, regardless of word count.
Within weeks of launching the program, the funeral home's placement rates with the Journal jumped 182 percent. Everyone is delighted with the results. “The funeral home shared how much everyone loves the program,” says Brumby. “It solves so many pain points for them: they get to keep their brand in front of the Journal's readers and offer their families a great service without tough conversations about cost.” Adds Brumby: “Obituary volume and revenue are up at the Marietta Daily Journal. I've re-forged an important relationship with the funeral home that provides the most end-of-life service to the community. It's a win in every way. I'm definitely planning to present this model to other funeral homes.”
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