Rolls-Royce

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars came to AKQA looking for a new global website. We saw an opportunity to rethink something much larger: how one of the world's most iconic luxury brands should express itself in a digital world.

After winning the pitch, I built and led a small, scrappy creative team dedicated to the business. The challenge was translating everything that made Rolls-Royce extraordinary in the physical world into digital. The craftsmanship. The materials. The sense of occasion. The almost obsessive attention to detail. We created a new global platform that moved beyond the conventions of an automotive website, combining cinematic storytelling, editorial content and product exploration into an experience designed to feel distinctly Rolls-Royce.

The website quickly became the foundation for a much broader relationship. What started as a single digital assignment expanded into global digital creative across the brand. Our team began taking on social, campaigns, content and major vehicle launches, becoming increasingly involved in both the ideas and the production behind them. We helped concept and lead shoots, created films and built the digital experiences surrounding some of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars' most important new products, including Phantom, Wraith and Black Badge.

Building a digital expression of modern luxury.

The FWA

CA WebPick

Awwwards

The Drum

BIMA

That evolution changed the role of the team. We were no longer simply maintaining a website. We were helping define how Rolls-Royce behaved and communicated across an emerging digital ecosystem. Each new launch gave us an opportunity to push the visual language further, while protecting the restraint, confidence and craftsmanship at the heart of the marque.

For Black Badge, that meant taking Rolls-Royce somewhere intentionally darker and more provocative. Step Into Darkness introduced a more rebellious side of the brand through film and digital storytelling, helping establish the attitude behind a new expression of Rolls-Royce. The film went on to win Best Commercial Film at the 2016 London Motor Film Festival.

The work was recognized across the industry. Rolls-RoyceMotorCars.com received an FWA Site of the Day, a Communication Arts WebPick, an Awwwards Honorable Mention, a commendation at The Drum Design Awards, and was shortlisted at the 2016 BIMA Awards for Web Design and Build.

More importantly, the work built trust. A pitch for a website grew into a multi year creative partnership, with our team taking on a larger role as the brand evolved. We helped Rolls-Royce move from having a digital presence to creating a connected digital expression of the brand, spanning platform, social, film, content and global launches.

Client:

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Agency:

AKQA

Year:

2016