Rolls-Royce teaches fans to speak its brand language

April 29, 2019

Rolls-Royce is known for its iconic grille and Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet ornament. Image credit: Rolls-Royce

British automaker Rolls-Royce has harnessed its heritage into a film series for the brand, in a similar manner to other luxury brands who spotlight their background to better connect with fans.

Rolls-Royce has now released the fourth episode of its new it has called “The House of Rolls-Royce.” Each short film focuses on a theme that is congruent with the brand, showing fans of the automaker a closer look at its history and how things work inside the company, with the latest spotlighting the language of Rolls-Royce.

Lexicon of Rolls-Royce
“Chapter Four: The Lexicon of Rolls-Royce” is the automaker’s latest episode, focusing on the various words that have arisen within the Rolls-Royce world to better describe its features.

The narrator of the docuseries begins the short film by explaining that over the 140 years of Rolls-Royce’s life, it has developed its own “elite vocabulary.”

One of the words that is a part of the Rolls-Royce vocabulary is its iconic “Spirit of Ecstasy,” the ornament fashioned on the front of every Rolls-Royce car.

Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy. Image credit: Rolls-Royce

The ornament is in the shape of a woman with her arms straightened out behind her back, with her clothes waving out underneath her arms, presumably from the wind, giving her the illusion of having wings.

Chapter Four explains that the Spirit of Ecstasy is the “embodiment of speed and grace” and is located on the front of every single Rolls-Royce vehicle.

In addition to the ornament, the latest film also spotlights what Rolls-Royce calls its “Pantheon Grille,” named for the Roman temple. The film reveals that while the grille looks as though every column is identical, much like the iconic Pantheon in Rome, no two columns are the same.

The Rolls-Royce team also focuses on the phrase “the three lines," which acts as the design principle for all models. The rule requires every design to focus on just three simple lines.

Another phrase referenced in the film is Rolls-Royce’s “Coachline” referring to the pinstripe line fitted on its designs, which are commissioned by the owner. The Coachline itself takes more than three hours to finish.

The “Starlight Headliner” is a map of the stars woven in the roof of Rolls-Royce models’ interiors. Each one can be designed differently for every owner.

Chapter Four finishes with the phrase “Magic Carpet Ride,” which is how the brand describes a ride in a Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce latest film

Luxury and film
In the first episode of "The House of Rolls-Royce" that debuted in 2017, the automaker first gave voice to a typically silent muse as it traced her influence throughout its history.

The film centers solely on the Spirit of Ecstasy, guiding both the driver and the vehicle’s creators. In this short, actress Kate Winslet narrates, bringing to life this iconic figure in Rolls-Royce heritage (see story).

Luxury brands commonly delve into topics of design and heritage through film.

For instance, British automaker Land Rover spotlighted the design and creativity that went into its new Range Rover Velar model with a series of videos detailing the talent behind the vehicle and their thoughts on what it means to be “creative.”

Titled "BORN Creative," Range Rover's series was in partnership with content creation company BORN. Each video saw a different designer speaking about their philosophy of creation and design while a Range Rover Velar was featured in the background (see story).

French couture house Christian Dior similarly introduced its Joaillerie Atelier with a series of video shorts that depicted the handiwork that goes into the creation of its high-jewelry collection.

Craftsmanship videos are often used to connect with consumers, giving them a glimpse of the production of luxury products and providing a personal narrative to represent the brand. Dior’s videos for the Joaillerie Atelier emphasize the details of the collection and help justify the high prices by portraying the labor that goes into each piece (see story).

Chanel is also known for a film series that looks at history as well, highlighting a different aspect of its brand each episode, with the latest focusing on Coco Chanel’s arrival in the United States (see story).

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