The Bentley crew at Crewe gets creative for Christmas. Image credit: Bentley Motors
British automaker Bentley Motors is tasking its apprentices with a holiday to-do list in an entertaining new vignette.
In a magical short film capturing the spirit of the holiday season, Bentley’s apprentices work diligently in crafting a collection of thoughtful ornaments true to the marque. The handcrafted decorations, dubbed “Sustainabaubles,” reflect Bentley’s commitment to sustainability in a unique and festive way.
“This ad is effective in that, despite only showing one of their cars for a brief moment, it's a clever opportunity for Bentley to showcase its bespoke approach to building its vehicles,” said David Undercoffler, editor in chief at Autolist.com, San Francisco.
Bentley at Christmas
The short film opens with a shot of several employees, including Brett Boydell, Bentley’s head of design collaboration, hard at work. Everything seems business as usual until Mr. Boydell reveals that all of the Christmas decorations are missing.
Suddenly, the apprentices at Bentley Motors spring into action, rich with the holiday spirit.
Bentley apprentices save the day
A montage shows the apprentices searching for materials, working with thread, sewing, measuring, cutting and more as they work on decorations well into the night.
The apprentices, acting more like holiday elves, use offcuts and spare parts from the Bentley workspaces, transforming them into art.
The next day, Mr. Boydell finds decoration materials strewn across his office. He then exits his office, walks past a picturesque cherry-red Bentley, and discovers a newly decorated Christmas tree.
On the Christmas tree are the Sustainabaubles, 12 jewel-like decorations designed by the apprentices with assistance from the artisan craftspeople based in Bentley’s Crewe factory.
Pieces include a leaping reindeer, snowflakes and more. The ornaments capture the Bentley ethos, with a quilted stocking and a Christmas tree topped with a Flying B instead of a traditional star.
“No time of year better encapsulates Bentley’s magical fusion of craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability than the run up to Christmas and we wanted to capture the excitement — and pressure — that we all feel at this time of year,” Mr. Boydell said in a statement.
The Sustainabaubles put a festive spin on several Bentley motifs, including the Flying B. Image credit: Bentley Motors
The short film humorously ends with another employee entering the room in a frazzled state, informing Mr. Boydell that they have located the original missing box of decorations, wrapping the entire vignette together.
The Sustainabaubles are not available for sale and will instead be auctioned off for charity.
Marque marketing
This is the second consecutive year the British automaker has shared a behind-the-scenes look at its Crewe headquarters in a festive holiday campaign.
In 2020, Bentley harnessed the yuletide spirit by staging a comical Christmas caper to draw attention to its new V8 Flying Spur. The ad featured a witty whodunnit starring Mr. Claus as a mysterious customer who commissions a Spur to organize his Christmas run (see story).
The automaker has continued its memorable streak of campaigns into this year.
In October, Bentley showcased the performance and versatility of its Continental GT Speed with a new film.
“Continental Drift” featured the GT Speed deftly navigating a former NATO air base in Italy. The campaign premiered as the automaker began deliveries of the new model (see story).
As always, Bentley highlights its thoughtful craftsmanship, which is apparent in its latest holiday effort, even if the main focus is not on its vehicles.
“How the brand assembles its cars and SUV is unique these days so this ad allows Bentley to flex that a bit in a way that few other brands can match,” Mr. Undercoffler said. “It's a lighthearted take on Bentley's ethos of craftsmanship in the name of the holidays.”