"Value-for-money scores hit a 3-year high and Chester Zoo became the UK’s most visited attraction outside London." 

The Challenge 

Chester Zoo was widely regarded as a great day out, but when it came to paid animal attractions, it didn’t have a clear edge in the minds of the public. Most visitors didn’t fully understand what made the zoo different from the rest. 

On top of that, the economic climate had driven much of the market into heavy discounting to pull in visitors. Over time, this trained customers to hold off on booking until a deal appeared - a race to the bottom that was hard to win, especially for a charity like Chester Zoo. 

The Solution 

Instead of joining the discount battle, we shifted focus to communicating value. The strategy was simple: don’t talk about paying less, talk about getting more. 

As a charity, discounting wasn’t just unviable, it risked eroding the brand and required unsustainable increases in volume to break even. The solution was to double down on what made a visit genuinely worth it. 

The new value proposition centred on four key areas: 

Emotional value – Tapping into the real reasons families visit: the discovery, the adventure, emotional connection, and memories, not just the ticket price. 

Practical value – Reframing and bundling all the extras that come as standard to highlight what guests actually get. 

Choice – Offering flexibility through partnerships and dynamic pricing, giving visitors options without cutting corners. 

Consistency – Rolling out a clear strapline and reinforcing it across every single channel to build recognition and trust over time. 

The Results 

Within six months of launch, value-for-money scores rose by 4 percentage points, the highest in three years. 

Chester Zoo went on to outperform the wider sector by over 30% in 2024, outpacing both other zoos and Northern attractions. 

The brand value proposition strategy helped secure CZ’s position as the No. 1 rated zoo in the UK and the third most visited attraction in the country - the top spot outside of London.