Zoopla appoints MoneySuperMarket’s Gareth Helm as its first CMO
Zoopla Property Group (ZPG) has appointed Gareth Helm, brand director of MoneySuperMarket Group, to the newly created role of chief marketing officer as it looks to grow awareness and build its portfolio of brands.
In his new post, Helm will be responsible for the overall marketing strategy for the group, which operates online property brands such as Zoopla, Primelocation, SmartNewHomes and HomesOverseas.
He will also become a member of the ZPG executive team, reporting directly to CEO Alex Chesterman, and will look to build “on the successful campaigns to date and ensure that awareness of the Group’s portfolio of brands continues to grow”, according to the company.
“In a short space of time the Group’s main brand, Zoopla, has grown to become a national household brand and I am looking forward to maintaining and growing the position,” says Helm.
In his role at MoneySuperMarket Group Plc. Helm was responsible for marketing across the group’s brands including MoneySuperMarket, TravelSuperMarket and MoneySavingExpert.
He has previously held roles as marketing director of Mars UK and Innocent Drinks and has held marketing posts at Nestle and Unilever.
He added: “I am excited by the Group’s ambitions, vision and plans for the future and am looking forward to ensuring that we continue to drive usage amongst digital property consumers and that our advertisers are fully aware of the value of our audience and the products that we offer for their benefit.”
Speaking on Helm’s appointment, CEO Alex Chesterman said: “His wealth of marketing experience and the results achieved for an array of big consumers brands is extremely impressive and I am looking forward to having him working on our brands to ensure that we are the number one choice for consumers when it comes to the property market.”
Early last year the company made headlines when it dropped its sponsorship deal with Premier League club West Bromwich Albion in response to striker Nicolas Anelka being charged by the Football Association (FA) over his controversial “quenelle” salute.
Zoopla’s two-year deal with the club ended last season, with the business stating it had decided to “focus its attention on other marketing activities moving forward”.
The company claims that over 16,500 property professionals advertise on its websites and mobile apps, which attract over 40 million visits per month.
The group also powers property searches on UK websites such as The Times, The Telegraph, Independent, Evening Standard, The Daily Mail, Homes & Property and AOL.
