Tower Bridge: an impressive 35% take-up rate
Tower Bridge is London’s defining landmark, with hundreds of thousands of visitors worldwide. It is a unique monument: a working bridge, listed building, learning space, events venue, and a national icon.
The Brief
The Tower Bridge team wanted to deliver a deeper engagement for every visitor.
Traditional audio guide devices cannot work at Tower Bridge because there is no space for a physical distribution point, and the visitor route - with entrances and exits on different sides of the River Thames - makes device management impossible.
The team also wanted to expand the experience with innovative and exciting Augmented Reality experiences to coincide with the 130th anniversary using historic photographs of the opening week.
Smartify’s Solution
- The Smartify Studio produced an hour-long Highlights Tour that places the authentic voices of Tower Bridge at its heart. The content of the tour was sourced from interviews with a cross-section of its staff, helping illustrate the variety of voices involved with the landmark.
- Making the tour available as a BYOD option removed the need for distribution points, with visitors empowered to engage with the digital experiences wherever they saw a QR code. This meant that Tower Bridge could also make external areas beyond the ticketed zones potential areas for engagement.
- The Studio then worked with Tower Bridge to re-colourize and animate archive photography of the Bridge in its opening week. This was used to create a unique AR experience that coincided with the 130th anniversary celebrations in 2024.
- The Smartify Partner Success team supported the transition to a Bring-Your-Own-Device mobile guide solution. This included consultancy on signage, best-practice examples of promoting a guide for maximum take-up, and training staff.
The Results
The success is resounding: 35% of visitors now elect to take the Smartify-powered tour for their Tower Bridge Visit. Using the digital visitor guide, visitors discover the secrets, stories, and surprises of the Bridge told by its very own staff, enriched by unique images—and brought together in a uniquely personal, human experience.
Clear on-site signage lets everyone know the tour is available.
Learn more about the tour and listen HERE.