Socioeconomic and Cultural Impact of Advertising the Dead in Tamale Metropolis

Abstract

Death is not a recent development in human history. The study employed a survey research design. The socioeconomic and cultural components of promoting the dead have not received enough attention from sociologists, anthropologists, and other social scientists who researched in burial customs in traditional societies. The findings indicate that, the living has always placed a high value on the deceased culturally, one element that affects people's social, economic, religious, and political lives both overtly and covertly is death. It takes about $800 USD to advertise the death of a child of 10-15years just for a short period. Types of advertising for the deceased include: Print advertising, direct mail advertising, radio, television, mobile, social media, display, and outdoor advertising. The Clergy, Local Government Authorities and the Traditional Authorities work together to create and implement legislation that would limit the frequency of advertising the dead.

Keywords: Advertising, Dead, Socio-economic, Culture, Funerals.