ABOUT

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.

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 aimed at an UHNWI audience was developed, recorded, and produced.

Though podcasts were a previously unexplored medium for the brand, they presented an ideal opportunity for in-depth storytelling that clearly differentiated the new motor car from its past. And so, Rolls-Royce’s inaugural podcast — Ghost Stories — was actioned. Hosted by design historian, editor, and curator, Johanna Agerman Ross, the five-part series detailed the intensive rebuild process through the lens of Rolls-Royce 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 campaign. 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.