Zoopla's CMO is at the helm of company changes

Zoopla is looking to transform how the average consumer uses its website as part of its plan to boost engagement, traffic and preference, to keep up with its competition in the housing market.

The site is currently best known for providing house valuations, which is what the majority of users visit the site for. But the brand has bigger ambitions in helping people at whatever stage of their housing journey – whether they are renting, a first time-buyer, upsizing or downsizing.

Zoopla’s CMO Gary Bramall said:

“Lots of people come to Zoopla to get valuations; that is the DNA of Zoopla.

“One of the challenges we’ve had is people have come to us to validate things but haven’t transacted on us. Ultimately, what we want users to do is come to Zoopla, know we have the full inventory of housing stock, the best tools and help them on their journey to make a home. That is our ambition.”

That ambition has necessitated a change in approach for the brand, which now wants to build a greater level of purpose. Previously, it communicated its proposition through a campaign that featured hermits crabs moving house. But Bramall believes that didn’t reflect the breadth of what Zoopla offers.

“We are not selling chocolate bars, we are doing something that is really important in people’s lives,” he explains. “The value of that moment was probably being lost a bit with the crabs execution. It undersold the importance of this moment. Lots of brands and businesses would give their right arm to have such an important life stage [as the focus of their brand].”

The new positioning, ‘We know what a home is really worth’, plays on Zoopla’s heritage in valuations, but also aims to tap into the emotional side of house hunting. The first two ads, created by Lucky Generals, focus on first-time buyers and a couple that have bought a fixer-upper.

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