The data became the new face of the brand in North America with six of the vehicles commissioned at our New York launch on the road today as Bentley’s press vehicles.

And according to the Global Luxury Consumer Study, Bentley moved from #6 to #1 in unprompted brand awareness of luxury car manufacturers. By using custom-designed technology we were able to showcase Bentley’s technological heritage and align it as an innovative brand that aligned with the target’s personal values.

We built brand awareness and shifted perceptions about the brand’s personalization capabilities. Guests walked away feeling that the data output truly reflected their personality and color preferences while letting them understand that ordering a truly custom Bentley was not a chore, but a joy to be savored.

In the first Studio in New York, 136 vehicles were commissioned and 249 new qualified prospects were connected with dealers; 54% of prospects were new to the brand.

Initially planned only for New York, the success of the Bentley Studio led to studios being held in Pebble Beach, Miami and Los Angeles, with plans for China and Europe being solidified.

Simply put, the data allowed a unique Bentley to be created for each guest. The data was the creative output. The matrix that showed consumers where they lived on the Bentley Matrix and what colors best reflected their personality were all data outputs.

After completing this experience, the guest would often explain how they would never have selected a Bentley like the one generated for them without going through this experience. This was because these were subconscious choices visualized by our data, not the conscious choices of an auto buyer.

To enhance the experience, we let customers “fly through their data” on a custom 10x16 curved projection screen that visualized all their selected images and organized them by color in a 3D matrix. Guests sat down at a custom table, and using LEAP gesture controls, explored the images they selected before they were mapped onto the personality matrix before their eyes.

The data then helped the actual Bentley designers create each guest’s perfect Bentley. Designers took the guest’s Personality Matrix and sketched and rendered cars that put guests’ passions into wood and steel. This was a critical step in showing how the modern Bentley motorcar company blends technology, data and hand-craftsmanship.

The technology and brand ambassadors were also able to swiftly and easily guide people through what could otherwise be a daunting task—buying and customizing a luxury vehicle. The software technology that built the lifestyle matrices created a bespoke experience that appealed to potential buyers and clearly reflected Bentley’s brand image. The process of selecting and buying a car became fun instead of onerous. It created an experience for people that matched their lifestyles and was beyond the normal, pedestrian car buying experience, elevating the brand in prospects’ eyes even further.