As part of the new Galleries of Modern London launch the Museum of London set aside a proportion of the budget to the development of an iPhone app.
The resulting app – Streetmuseum, available to download for free – overlays historical images from the museum’s collections on present day London streets as the viewer walks around the capital. It has brought in new audiences – with 65,000 downloads in the first 4 weeks and the museum’s monthly target of visitors reached within the first week of opening the new galleries.
The app was developed to support the launch of the new Galleries of Modern London, which opened in May 2010. It was also designed to reposition the Museum of London as a modern, connected museum with the story of real Londoners at its heart. The marketing campaign needed an additional element to attract Londoners, particularly young Londoners – something innovative and exciting which would get both the public and the media talking about the Museum.
"We wanted to create something from the existing content we have available in the museum", said Vicky Lee, Marketing Manager at the Museum.
Originally briefed as a viral campaign, the museum chose the app from five campaign options presented to them from creative agency Brothers and Sisters.
"All that we needed was a caption and location for each image and then the technology to pull it all together. The content is strong and the concept is simple. The idea itself is not that unique or original, however as the first organisation to use augmented reality technology in this way we stand out among our competitors. Making it free to download and available worldwide meant that we could also access the widest possible audience and achieve the best possible results", Vicky enthused.
The results have been outstanding to date. Success was easily measured through download statistics, online chatter and media coverage.
There has been extensive consumer and trade media coverage from Metro and Time Out to Creative Review and Icon magazine. The app was awarded Ad watch in July’s New Media Age and selected as Pick of the Week in Campaign.
There has also been a noticeable increase in online chatter through social media sites and blogs. Twitterers have had plenty to say with thousands of tweets from all over the world while a TripAdviser reviewer of the museum itself remarked ‘Only went to this museum after seeing their iPhone app but will definitely be going back’. Online reviewers have commended the app with iPhone Freak commenting, "If you question whether augmented reality apps will ever amount to much more than as a tool for finding a nearby restaurant, then take a look at the newest app from the Museum of London for proof that with a little creativity, the technology has the potential to change our perspective of cities we live in or visit."
The app has not only drawn in individual visitors, it has also raised the profile of the museum in the professional community, with interest in what they have done from as far afield as Moscow and New York.
The Museum of London is exploring the development of new apps for future projects with Brothers and Sisters. Their aim is to stay ahead of the field and produce even more innovative apps. And, with their newly raised profile, they hope to secure sponsorship to be able to achieve this.
For more information on this case study visit the MLA research website.