This Hoo Zoo‘s audio campaign demonstrates how strategic radio, creative workshops, and community engagement can reignite local excitement, celebrate a milestone anniversary, and deliver measurable commercial results. Partnering with Hoo Zoo, we designed a multi-layered campaign on Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire to promote 35 roarsome years, raise awareness across the region, and drive ticket sales during the key Easter and half-term periods.
About the Client
Hoo Zoo is one of Shropshire’s best-loved family attractions, home to an eclectic mix of exotic animals and immersive visitor experiences. Celebrating 35 wonderful years, the zoo marked the milestone with the arrival of brand-new dinosaur attractions designed to captivate young explorers and families alike.
With strong community roots and a growing educational offering, Hoo Zoo wanted to ensure local families rediscovered the attraction and understood that it continues to evolve. The anniversary presented the perfect opportunity to reposition the zoo as a must-visit destination for Easter and half-term adventures.
About the Campaign
The Hoo Zoo promotional campaign was built around three key objectives:
- Promote the attraction to listeners across Black Country and Shropshire
- Raise awareness of 35 wonderful years of Hoo Zoo
- Drive ticket sales and visits during Easter and half-term
To achieve this, we combined on-air promotion, digital engagement, and experiential learning. The campaign needed to reach families at scale while embedding Hoo Zoo directly into the community through schools.
About the Audio Campaign
Audio was central to the Hoo Zoo promotional campaign. Using engaging, high-frequency messaging across Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, we delivered:
- Branded promotional trails
- Presenter-led endorsements
- Competition promotion
- Creative audio assets featuring children’s voices
The audio strategy was designed not only to inform but to immerse listeners in the excitement of Hoo Zoo’s 35th anniversary. Messaging highlighted the new dinosaurs, the Easter experience, and the chance for schools to win a once-in-a-lifetime class trip.
By incorporating dynamic scripting and playful sound design, including real children’s ROARS, the campaign delivered personality and authenticity, reinforcing Hoo Zoo as a vibrant, family-first destination.
The Brief
Hoo Zoo wanted more than awareness. They wanted action.
The brief called for a campaign that would:
- Engage families directly
- Reconnect schools with Hoo Zoo’s educational packages
- Capture valuable opt-in data
- Generate measurable uplift in ticket sales
- Celebrate 35 “ROARSOME” years in a memorable way
Importantly, the campaign needed to resonate locally. For a regional attraction like Hoo Zoo, community advocacy is everything.
The Message
The core message of the Hoo Zoo promotional campaign was simple:
Rediscover the magic. Celebrate 35 years. Experience the dinosaurs.
We positioned Hoo Zoo as both nostalgic and new, a trusted family day out that continues to innovate. The language leaned into fun and imagination, using dinosaur-themed creative to spark curiosity while reinforcing the zoo’s educational value.
By integrating schools into the storytelling, we shifted the message from pure promotion to shared community celebration.
The Solution
Competition & Data Collection
At the heart of the Hoo Zoo audio campaign was an online competition aimed at local schools.
Schools were invited to nominate themselves via a dedicated page for the chance to win:
- A class trip to Hoo Zoo
- A bespoke Hits Radio Creation Station workshop
This mechanic encouraged participation, generated excitement, and built a valuable database of opted-in school contacts. The competition also spotlighted Hoo Zoo’s educational offering, encouraging future bookings beyond the prize itself.
Creation Station: Championing Communication and Creativity
The winning school received not only a visit to Hoo Zoo but also a Hits Radio Creation Station workshop.
The workshop empowered children to:
- Create their own on-air content
- Influence messaging and sound design
- Record voiceovers and ROARS for broadcast
- Develop endorsed Hoo Zoo trails
The experience was adapted with an SEN focus for the winning class from Christ Church CofE, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility.
The children became ambassadors for Hoo Zoo, helping shape extended on-air activity that followed the competition. They were passionate about language, direction, and SFX — even providing the roars that featured in the final broadcast creative.
This authentic involvement elevated the Hoo Zoo audio campaign from advertising to shared storytelling.
Success Measures
The results were exceptional for a regional campaign of this scale.
- 58 individual schools entered the competition — a huge figure for such a focused geographic area
- All data was fully opt-in, enabling Hoo Zoo to follow up directly with schools about educational packages
- Creation Station successfully delivered inclusive engagement with a tailored SEN approach
- Positive feedback from educators, including:
“The children repeatedly told me that it was the best day ever!” – R Moore, Christ Church CofE
Beyond participation numbers, the campaign delivered:
- Heightened awareness of Hoo Zoo’s 35th anniversary
- Stronger connections with local schools
- Fresh, authentic audio assets for broadcast
- Increased visibility during Easter and half-term
Most importantly, the Hoo Zoo audio campaign positioned the zoo as a thriving, evolving attraction deeply embedded in its community.
Summary
The Hoo Zoo audio campaign successfully combined radio reach, digital engagement, and experiential learning to create a campaign that was as impactful as it was imaginative.
By celebrating 35 roarsome years with dinosaurs, competitions, and creative workshops, Hoo Zoo not only drove ticket sales during key seasonal periods but also strengthened long-term relationships with local schools.
Through strategic use of audio on Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire and the power of Creation Station, the campaign turned listeners into participants and participants into passionate advocates.
For regional attractions looking to blend awareness, data capture, and community engagement, the Hoo Zoo audio campaign proves that when creativity meets local connection, the results are truly roarsome.