Eye calls in the ad men

The London Eye, widely regarded as one of the success stories of the new millennium, has hired a top advertising agency to help reverse declining visitor numbers.

The attraction features in radio commercials portraying it as a sophisticated pre-dinner alternative to the pub and publicising its new longer opening hours - it is now possible to ride on it between 6pm and 9.30pm without booking.

The campaign was created by the Joshua agency, which already works for the Eye's owner British Airways as well as soap giant Procter and Gamble. It is probably best known as the agency which created an advert for itself showing its staff standing naked.

In response to market research which revealed some customers rated the ride itself as the weakest part of the Eye "experience", the company has also created a pop-up book of London showing visitors the landmarks that can be seen in different directions from the pods. These include Alexandra Palace, Crystal Palace, Windsor Castle and Gatwick Airport.

Additionally the Eye campaign will target children outside London by linking up with a Disney Roadshow touring the country.

Officials at the Eye denied today that it was troubled by declining visitor numbers. "This campaign is a trial to see what effect advertising can have on raising awareness," said marketing director Jo Partington. She declined to comment on whether visitor numbers were down on last year and said that "attendances are still well on target".

Although the Eye has received rave reviews from many critics some ordinary visitors have been less the ecstatic about it. "The first minute was exciting but what do you do for the other 29. I would rather have been at home watching EastEnders," said one visitor.

The Eye attracted more than four million visitors in its first year of operation, putting it firmly in the top five tourist destinations in London, alongside The Dome, Tate Modern, the British Museum and The National Gallery. Visitors had to book tickets weeks in advance and last summer had to queue for hours to take their place. Tickets were changing hands on the black market for up to £20.

However this week queues have been nearly non existent and tickets for the weekend are still available. The Eye claimed that over last bank holiday weekend, likely to be this year's peak, it had 18,000 visitors a day.

Although this meant the Eye was running at 94 per cent capacity, it desperately needs to repeat last year's stunning performance if it is ever to make a profit.