Insight
Ten years after its initial debut, Rolls-Royce introduces a second-generation Ghost — its purest expression yet. To entice existing and potential patrons, the marque must showcase how the new car’s minimalist aesthetic defines modern luxury and tempt audiences into beginning their journey with the new model.
After a five-year-long quest to rebuild the best-selling model in their 116-year history, Rolls-Royce presented a new icon. The reimagined saloon car marks a contemporary turning point for the model. It reflects a post-opulent design philosophy that rejects ostentatious expressions of wealth and embraces elegant restraint.
"Our clients appreciate pared-back simplicity. They seek design purity."
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The new Ghost is Rolls-Royce’s most advanced feat of design and engineering yet.
Illuminating the obsessive excellence behind the motor car demanded more than hyperbole, particularly for existing Ghost owners already in possession of one of the world’s finest cars.
Idea
Create the first podcast-centred campaign in Rolls-Royce history and reveal five years worth of obsessive effort with detail-rich, long-form episodes.
To accompany the comprehensive launch across web and social, an original podcast series was developed, recorded, and produced.
Though podcasts were a previously unexplored medium for Rolls-Royce, they presented an ideal opportunity for in-depth storytelling that clearly differentiated the new motor car from its past. And so, Rolls-Royce’s first podcast — Ghost Stories — was actioned. Hosted by design historian, editor, and curator, Johanna Agerman Ross, the five-part series details the intensive rebuild process through the lens of designers and engineers.
The series was first launched privately to members of Whispers, Rolls-Royce’s exclusive app. Its general release was coordinated with the public launch of Ghost and integrated into the global launch.
Ghost Stories is currently available on Apple, Google, Spotify, and Deezer.
Impact
The podcast elicits a 144% increase in average time spent on the Rolls-Royce website and finds 30.5% of the targeted ultra-high net worth audience returning to follow the series.
Ghost Stories confirms the value in long-form content by holding the attention of an audience that is notoriously short on time. The podcast also marks a new era in Rolls-Royce storytelling, establishing a new approach for product launches and education.
