Puy du Fou Theme Park Reinvents Its Marketing Strategy to Recover After COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic left the tourism and leisure park sector struggling, and Puy du Fou, a historical-themed park in France, was no exception. Although Puy du Fou faced challenges in attracting new visitors in early 2022, a comprehensive overhaul of its marketing strategy led to a strong rebound in 2023. The park’s new campaign, centered on the concept “People will think you’re crazy,“ — amplified through a bold 360 media strategy— helped reposition the park as a family-friendly destination. The result was record-breaking attendance and a significant increase in first-time visitors, demonstrating the park’s ability to overcome both the impact of the pandemic and misconceptions about its offerings.

A Difficult Starting Point

The tourism and leisure park sector faced unprecedented challenges between 2019 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Theme parks, including France’s renowned Puy du Fou, were forced to close for more than seven months. The sector’s recovery was slow, and Puy du Fou, which had been on a significant growth trajectory before the pandemic, struggled to regain momentum in 2022.

As the park’s competitors reported a strong start to the 2022 season, Puy du Fou’s opening campaign was less than stellar, with visitor numbers dipping below pre-pandemic levels. The setback was attributed not only to lingering effects of the pandemic but also to the park’s difficulty in attracting new visitors. The park attendance had been largely dependent on returning visitors, who accounted for 70% of the total attendance in 2022.

Unlike other theme parks that lean more into fantasy and magic, Puy du Fou offers an immersive journey into history, a trip to the past. This unique positioning led to some preconceived notions that hindered its appeal, with potential visitors perceiving the park as “too medieval” or “not a park for children.”

Strategic Goals for Puy du Fou’s 2023 Revival

In a competitive environment where all major players communicate during the same periods, Puy du Fou had to redefine its strategy and communication for 2023 to successfully launch its season and achieve significant growth in both attendance and revenue to win back share.

The objectives were two-fold: commercially, to significantly increase park attendance and resultant revenues, and from a brand image perspective, to appeal to a new first-time family visitor audience. Resolving this to a communication goal, there was a clear need to define and own a territory that is as spectacular as Puy du Fou, one that stands out from competitors.

‘People will think you’re crazy’

While the park boasted an impressive 92% awareness rate, this recognition often did not translate into an understanding of what the park truly is and offers. Most people knew the name “Puy du Fou” but were unfamiliar with its distinctive proposition. Puy du Fou realized that only those who have experienced the park can really understand what it is like. In fact, Puy du Fou enjoys exceptional word-of-mouth advocacy, with a 99% recommendation rate and a customer satisfaction score of 9.2/10.

Visitors often described their time at the park as spectacular, yet this very quality made their experiences difficult to convey to others, as it could sound unbelievable or exaggerated to someone who hadn’t experienced it firsthand. Thus, the campaign was built around the concept: “People will think you’re crazy.”, this idea capturing the sentiment that Puy du Fou is so extraordinary that describing it might spark disbelief.

Multi-Channel Campaign to Reach New Audiences

Together with Arena Media as its media agency, Puy du Fou launched a 360-degree campaign to reach families and kids in an integrated and meaningful way. A film titled ‘The Vikings’ was launched to enhance awareness among a wide audience and strengthen ad recall. The targeted media strategy included segmented TV and video on demand advertising, further amplified by social media to ensure complementary audience reach.

Cinema advertising also played a crucial role, leveraging the unique sound and image quality of the medium to dramatize the Puy du Fou provocation. This was strategically aligned with the release of The Three Musketeers movie, which drew two million admissions and contributed to the ad’s reach and penetration. The campaign also incorporated display ads during the opening week to further reinforce the messaging.

To communicate the park’s concept effectively in key target areas, a key strand of the campaign focused on creating an immersive experience that would foster engagement and generate earned media. The park’s universe was brought to life through a geo-targeted approach, utilizing geo-data to tailor messages on billboards and radio, specifically in high-traffic zones. The digital aspect of the campaign, led by social media and influencers, aimed to engage the target audience while reinforcing the park’s educational value.

In order to accelerate conversions, particularly among first-time visitors and returning guests, the campaign employed traffic-driving media to generate bookings. Search played a pivotal role as a traffic driver, with messages tailored to user queries, profiles, and timing to optimize results.

The park’s website and app were also redesigned to match the campaign’s theme, ensuring a seamless experience from the moment users engaged with the brand online to the point of booking.

A New Era for Puy du Fou

One of the key commercial objectives was to achieve a fast start, boosting sales during the park’s crucial annual reopening period. In this respect, the campaign achieved remarkable success, with a 29.8% increase in website traffic compared to the same period in 2022, leading to a 19.3% rise in visitor numbers and a 21% increase in revenue. Attendance was up every day since the reopening, culminating in a record-breaking single-day attendance of over 30,000 visitors, a historic achievement for the park.

Puy du Fou also set out to recruit new visitors, particularly families. The campaign succeeded in attracting 39% more first-time visitors, with these newcomers accounting for 43% of total attendance, up from 31% the previous year.

In addition to growing its visitor base, Puy du Fou worked to increase stay bookings. The park recorded an 11% increase in the average order value and a hotel occupancy rate of 78%, up from 73% during the same period in 2022.

Puy du Fou’s successful campaign highlights the importance of reinvention in a competitive landscape. By leveraging its unique offerings and addressing preconceived notions, the park was able to attract a broader audience while maintaining its loyal customer base. With its new strategy in place, Puy du Fou is well positioned to continue its growth in the post-pandemic era.