Background

The Hong Kong Observation Wheel (The Wheel) is an iconic landmark and attraction, located along the city’s harbour front. Its surrounding grounds host the AIA Vitality Park. The combined mission is to provide a world-class venue for the community and visitors to enjoy. This is achieved by delivering an evolving schedule of events, activities and exceptional customer experiences. Having successfully welcomed over 3.8 million visitors since its relaunch in December 2017, an enhanced experience created an opportunity to attract new and repeat visitors for further engagement. The augmented reality app was conceptualised to: -Promote The Wheel as a must-try experience for the local community and tourists; - Enhance the experience of The Wheel and connect users to the rich history of their surroundings; - Create a platform for promotional opportunities and brand engagement; and - Capture an engaged audience and advance the customer journey through additional features of the app.

Describe the creative idea

The Wheel has become a prominent feature in Hong Kong’s modern skyline but much has changed over the city’s rich history. A glimpse of the past can be observed at the neighbouring Maritime Museum; home to a plethora of materials which tell the tales of bygone eras. By creating an augmented reality app, The Wheel would offer a new experience whilst connecting the attraction to the community and its place in history. The vision was to transport users back in time and transform static images, models and artefacts into dynamic media set against a real-time backdrop of the city. The idea was to create a captivating experience to attract new and returning visitors; enhance users’ experience of The Wheel; develop interactions with customers; and continue to engage the audience after they had left the physical site.

Describe the strategy

As an iconic attraction, The Wheel’s goal is to engage the local community and visitors. The app would enhance this mission by targeting: - Families with children aged 5-11, who enjoy educational yet entertaining activities around the city; - Local tourists looking for fun activities and new engaging experiences; - Culture and history enthusiasts keen on learning about Hong Kong’s vibrant past; and - International and regional tourists who are interested in cultural experiences in Hong Kong. The goal was to create a captivating experience, improve onsite customer interactions and enable further engagement once users had left the attraction. To achieve this, the app needed to successfully deliver a quality user experience with an accurate representation of the changing eras. This would require creative application, stunning visuals and expert knowledge. Additional features and content would be designed and included in the app to facilitate continued customer engagement and lead generation.

Describe the execution

Global experts were engaged to overcome the additional technical challenges presented by the rotating platform. To operate smoothly, satellite positioning, gyro information, directional compass data and camera visuals were combined with live telemetry data from The Wheel. The pandemic contributed another challenge by impeding the international team’s ability to test onsite. Six months of extensive research was conducted in collaboration with renowned historians who validated information and shared insights. Using >1,400 images and paintings, >20 ship models, historic maps and a multitude of public and private references, two notable periods of Hong Kong’s history were brought to life with stunning visuals layered over 360⁰ views of the harbour. The app includes interactive features and integrates onsite activations for added engagement. Additional features include push notifications for promotions, The Wheel’s events schedule, photographs, anecdotes and a video about the making of the app to inspire the next generation of makers.

List the results

As the first app of its kind to be created for use on a continuously rotating platform, developing the app was a creative and technical feat. By overcoming the challenges, the app enriched customer experience, interaction and engagement. After launching the app, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel was temporarily closed due to anti-epidemic measures. In just 13 days, the app achieved: 1,200+ app installs 1,700+ hours of app user engagement 2 times more visitors compared to the year’s weekly average $17 million worth of marketing value 267 million+ marketing and media reach 2.3 times increase in unique website visitors vs. 2020 weekly average A significant sponsorship deal with AIA to become the official app sponsor When The Wheel reopens, the next stage of the engagement plan will commence. This will include educational programmes and competitions such as future cityscape designs to envision Hong Kong's 2121 skyline.