Alma Media’s newspapers offer a new way of respecting the deceased: Ikuisuus.fi online obituary and memorial service

Alma Media Corporation                   Press release            27 May 2016

ALMA MEDIA’S NEWSPAPERS OFFER A NEW WAY OF RESPECTING THE DECEASED: IKUISUUS.FI ONLINE OBITUARY AND MEMORIAL SERVICE

Alma Media’s new Ikuisuus.fi service enables publishing death notices digitally, alongside the traditional newspaper notices. Service users can also create a memorial website for their loved ones online. The obituaries published in Alma’s regional newspapers – Aamulehti, Satakunnan Kansa, Lapin Kansa and Pohjolan Sanomat – as well as in 16 local papers will be transferred to the digital Ikuisuus.fi service automatically. The total number of obituaries published in Alma Media’s newspapers is about 6,000 per year.

The separate memorial website is a place for storing images and text and sharing memories and condolences. Users can share photographs, drawings, poems, obituaries, condolences, links and other materials of the deceased, commemoration or their family history. The memorial website becomes a testimonial to the deceased and his/her life, covering both work and free-time. The digital service enables reaching those who do not read the newspaper where the obituary is originally published in. The memorial website can be made public or private. 

– Newspapers have a long history as a forum where people share their joys and sorrows. We wanted to create a service that pays tribute to the century-old tradition of newspaper obituaries and the Finnish culture of commemoration. Our aim was to find a dignified but modern way of respecting the dead and sharing condolences. We consulted our Finnish readers while we were planning Ikuisuus.fi, and we continue to develop the service and its features on the basis of the users’ needs, says Hanna Kivimaa, Product Manager for Ikuisuus.fi.

– Our aim is to find a functional way of digitalising the sections and various kinds of content typically found in newspapers and serve our customers on different channels in a way that feels natural, Kivimaa continues.

The service also offers practical advice on funeral arrangements, among other things.

Visit the service at: Ikuisuus.fi

For more information, please contact:

Product Manager, Hanna Kivimaa, hanna.kivimaa@almamedia.fi, tel. +358 106653536

Alma Media in brief

Alma Media is a media company focusing on the service business and journalistic content. The company’s best-known brands are Kauppalehti, Talouselämä, Affärsvärlden, Iltalehti, Aamulehti, Etuovi.com and Monster. Alma Media builds sustainable growth for its customers by utilising the opportunities of digitality, including information services, system and expert services and advertising solutions. Alma Media’s operations have expanded from Finland to the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Central Europe. Alma Media employs approximately 2,500 professionals (excluding delivery personnel), of whom approximately 30% work outside Finland. Alma Media’s revenue in 2015 was EUR 291.5 million. Alma Media’s share is listed on NASDAQ Helsinki. Read more at www.almamedia.com.

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