DECA students fearless in funeral home 'Shark Tank' challenge

DANVERS — It would be a challenge for even the most sharklike marketing executive to tout a brand-new, state-of-the-art funeral home in a sensitive, tasteful and restrained way.

The challenge would be greater given a limited marketing budget.

But Distributive Education Clubs of America, DECA, students at Danvers and Peabody High were up for the task — and came up with some unique ideas to market the new Mackey Funeral Home in Middleton. The students were competing in a “Shark Tank” presentation on Nov. 19, an event that was hosted by the Innovative Business Networking group at Timothy’s on Route 1 north.

The students were given a hypothetical budget of $8,000 to draw up a marketing plan for the family-owned funeral home that is in transition as it opens a second location in Middleton.

The students used videos and slides to pitch their plans to a panel of six judges that included Dave Seymour and Peter Souhleris from A&E’s real estate TV show “Flipping Boston.”

The kids had just 10 minutes to present their marketing plans, and then the judges gave them a five-minute critique. Many judges were impressed with how the students spoke and carried themselves.

Danvers High Team 1, made up of James Curley, Jason Trefrey and Janelle Tobin had the highest score and won the competition, but the judges said students from both communities had come up with some great ideas during the two-hour program.

The students were marketing a new funeral home that opened on Oct. 9 on Route 114 in Middleton. The project was two years in the making and was built in response to the changing nature of the funeral home business, Funeral Director Dan Mackey said.

Mackey opened this second location because the family’s present location, an old Queen Anne Revival home in downtown Danvers, could no longer accommodate the number of funerals that are conducted nowadays. The funeral home has been in operation since 1971.

The contrast between the old funeral home and the new one was something DECA students highlighted during their presentations. The original location on Conant Street has been sold to the Archdiocese of Boston, which has plans to demolish it to create more parking for St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish next door. Until that happens, the old location is still in operation.

The new Mackey Funeral Home is the first funeral home in the tri-town area, the students said. Unlike the downtown Danvers funeral home, there’s parking for 90 cars. Parking is tight at the Danvers home.

Unlike being in downtown Danvers, the new funeral home at 128 S. Main St. offers the backdrop of Richardson Farms’ pastures. The new home also has amenities that include a children’s room and video screens throughout, which can be used to display pictures or videos of loved ones.

With the use of cremation on the rise, many people are opting for celebrations of life, instead of traditional church services, Mackey said. The new home can accommodate both new and traditional services with its chapel-like feel inside, he said.

Mackey said he was impressed with the DECA students, who had the bravery to interview him for their presentations.

“It was kind of neat to get their perspective on things,” Mackey said.

With the theme of “Celebration of Life,” Peabody Team 1, made up of seniors Danny Griffin, Ashley Ferragamo, Gabriela Molica and junior Christina Pescatore studied the area’s demographics and emphasized that families want a personalized funeral. The Internet should be key to targeting a younger audience, they said.

They suggested creating a video tour, holding an open house and having information sessions on the importance of planning ahead.

Like other teams, they suggested sponsoring sports teams’ uniforms, but they came up with the unique idea of holding remembrance ceremonies at the funeral home to celebrate those who have died in the past. They suggested maximizing searches for funeral homes online by turning to keyword search ads. The home should update its website, they said.

They also suggested posting an additional sign along Route 114 to make the home more visible to traffic.

One of the most novel ideas of the evening was the use of the home as a backdrop for prom pictures.

Seymour quizzed the kids. “Did any of you actually go to a funeral?” he asked.

“Yes, we did,” the students said.

Seymour said he would have liked it if the team had put out their slogan, “Celebration of Life,” at the start of their presentation.

“A marketing piece,” Seymour said, “for me is a sale. I want you to impact me immediately.”

Danvers Team 3, made up of Liam Callahan, Sarah Roach, Julia McNulty and Athena Velonis, all sophomores, started out pitching the amenities of the new home, like the expanded parking, and identified the target market as senior citizens in Topsfield, Middleton and Boxford.

Unlike the Peabody team, however, they focused on marketing to churches, using newspaper ads and reaching out to hospitals and nursing homes.

“How is this different from what they are already doing?” asked one of the judges, Pam Hulbert, owner of Plum Consignment of Beverly.

Peabody Team 2, made up of seniors Andre Neves, Grace Campbell and Garrett Wallace, suggested landscaping a traffic island at a busy intersection on Route 114 to make people aware of the home, and creating a newsletter that would have town news.

Danvers Team 1 identified the target market not only as seniors, but middle-aged people who may be planning their parents’ funeral.

They suggested a postcard campaign, hosting seminars at work place, and becoming involved in the community. Like other teams, they suggested reaching out to local restaurants, like Teresa’s Italian Eatery, just up the road, and arranging for precooked meals for grieving families.

Peabody Team 3, made up of seniors Anthony Palmisano, Marcus Vieira and Anthony Saputo, struck similar themes and won kudos from Souhleris for their fashion sense. Each of them wore suits and light-blue shirts — the color of the “Shark Tank” logo.

Danvers Team 2 of Tre Crittendon, Michael Plansky and Brendan Powers, all juniors, suggested the use of the motto: “Preparing for Tomorrow,” offering pre-planning seminars and tapping into the network of the Innovative Business Networking group.

“I really like how you guys are thinking out of the box,” Hulbert said.

Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673, by email at eforman@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @DanverSalemNews.

Danvers DECA vs. Peabody DECA

Shark Tank teams

Danvers DECA

Team 1: Seniors James Curley, Jason Trefrey, Janelle Tobin

Team 2: Juniors Tre Crittendon, Michael Plansky and Brendan Powers

Team 3: Sophomores Liam Callahan, Sarah Roach, Julia McNulty and Athena Velonis

Advisor: Business Teacher Meghan Beaulieu

Peabody DECA

Team 1: Seniors Danny Griffin, Ashley Ferragamo, Gabriela Molica and junior Christina Pescatore

Team 2: Seniors Garrett Wallace, Andre Neves and Grace Campbell