Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are perhaps one of the world’s most recognisable brands, synonymous with offering, for those that can afford, cars that are as about as ‘luxury’ as you can get. Whilst the brand remains revered it is not exactly accessible to the average person.
You might argue that it’s the way it should be for this type of luxury product, however Rolls-Royce recognise they are a Brand full of incredible stories and experiences that when shared in the right way, help positively shape perception and ultimately advocacy with wider audiences.
In an interesting move the team at Rolls-Royce recently launched ‘Inside Rolls-Royce’, a live experience held at the Saatchi Gallery in London. The concept behind the four day event was to create artistic visualisations of the key aspects that go into the highly bespoke processes involved in manufacturing a Rolls-Royce.
What made the experience particularly special and memorable was the blending of sensory experiences with a strong digital twist. Below I have detailed the key aspects that helped bring the event to life.
Sensory: Light, Sound & Smell
An art gallery is not your typical venue for a car display. In fact there was no actual Rolls-Royce cars on display, a very conscious decision which allowed for very visual installations that gave a unique feeling about each manufacturing element. This was brought to life with intelligent use of lighting, sound effects and importantly smell that changed in each room reflecting use of materials such as wood.
iBeacons & App
Rather than text heavy explainer panels or relying on tour guides, the whole event was supported by an App (download here) that contained all of the information about each area and aspect on display. This was taken to a highly interactive level with the use of iBeacons that prompted and supplied relevant information based on where you were in the exhibition. Expect this type of function in every gallery and museum in the future!
Experts from the Factory
Part of what makes a Rolls-Royce special are the artisans who offer incredible levels of customisation. Three experts were running live demo’s of the type of skills Rolls-Royce deploy in their coachwork. Each person was happy to talk through what they do and shared their passion for their specific skill. This helped make this aspect of the experience feel very inclusive and welcoming.
Interactivity
Almost every installation used some form of digital interaction to encourage visitors to take part. My favourite was the Spirit of Ecstasy experience which combined a beautiful visualisation with the kinect so that people could actually be the Spirit of Ecstasy!
Paid Media
The event was very well promoted with smart use of promotion at Victoria station during the build up to the event as well as PPC, Promoted Tweets and advertising across London’s key media. Whilst there is nothing new here it does show the need to invest and raising awareness is a key aspect to supporting event awareness and visitor numbers.
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Social Activation using StoryStream
To maintain the inclusive nature of the event there was a significant social media push encouraging people to share using #insiderollsroyce. StoryStream was used to provide a live hub of all of the great content being created which acted as one of the main features on the event website, check it out here. This acted as a great way to offer people who couldn’t attend a unique insight into the experience.They also powered screens in the events to show the best of the social conversation and encourage people to share to their own networks.
Driving advocacy
Overall the Inside Rolls-Royce experience delivered something unique and very memorable. The combination of digital technology, highly interactive installations and expertise on hand created something that will definitely shift perceptions about a brand that is traditionally is viewed as completely out of reach. I expect more and more Brands to be creating pop-up experiences that take their Brand to new audiences in innovative ways.
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