Possible reason for Diversity in the Hearse

    Previously I discussed what the public do not look for in a hearse, that generally the public looks at the symbolism rather than the physical appearance.  As such the public have little knowledge in the physical side of the hearse, despite the significance of the hearse.

    I suspect this is the reasons there is such a diversity of the hearses in Sydney.

Holden Caprice:
Elite Funerals

    Because the public have little to no preferences or preconceptions regarding physical appearance this gives companies room to experiment and individualise.  The idea of what a hearse should be, should look like, is actually not very strong from what I have found.  So as long as the companies meet certain basic expectations they can play around with the design as much as they are like.


    This is only a thought at best, not even a theory, but it does explain the sheer variety of hearses.  There are a few different funeral homes in Sydney, but each one essentially has its own style of hearse, yes there are a lot of similarities between a few.  But with experience one can look at a hearse in the distance and know which company it is.

Chrysler hearse:
Lady Anne Funerals

    Because the notions of what a hearse should look like are not strong companies can focus on tying the hearse to their branding, rather than building a 'proper' hearse.  I think this is why we see hearses so integrated into company images, the hearse is designed around the company.  Take InvoCare as a great example, Simplicity are simple silver Ford hearses, White Ladys are fancy white Holden hearses.  The two brands owned by the same company have completely different hearses, tied in directly with that brands imagery.

Holden Commodore:
Guardian Funerals

    Essentially I believe the lack of public interest in the physical appearance gives funeral companies room to customise and individualise the hearse.  To design a hearse around their branding and theming rather than around what the public expect it should look like.

Ford hearse:
Guardian Funerals

    Basically the fact that the public do not understand the funeral industry is an advantage to the funeral industry in a sense.  It gives the industry room to experiment and diversify itself in ways that the public never notice.

Holden Commodore:
WNBulls Funerals

Historic hearse:
Guardian Funerals

Ford hearse:
TJ Andrews Funerals

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