“To help inspire you, the Bentley Inspirator application will launch a commissioning experience like no other, resulting in a tailored specification that is…”
Ah, Bentley. It even has a “bespoke” language. It also has an app that creates a bespoke Bentley.
The Inspirator app, which was created by agency VML, measures an individual’s facial expressions to determine emotional responses to various images in an interactive film and uses the results to create a personalised virtual Bentley Bentayga – choosing colour, wheel and detailing to match a person’s passions, lifestyle and personality type. The Bentley may then be ordered and built.
The emotion metrics algorithms were built using the world’s largest emotion data repository, with 3.4 million faces analysed in 75 countries amounting to more than 12 billion emotion data points. Bentley is confident about the app’s accuracy.
The app uses a person’s iPhone or iPad camera to identify 34 facial landmarks at 15 frames per second as he or she watches film content shown on the device’s screen. Their reactions dictate the film’s narrative because the film changes depending on the images to which the viewer responds most positively. It also monitors their reactions and deciphers their preferences in order to create a unique vehicle configuration, which is revealed at the end of the film.
The app shows the person why various colours and materials were chosen and how their interaction with the video content resulted in the recommended Bentayga specification. The individual may then develop the design further and personalise it by changing choices made. There is a guide to support the configuration process, which prompts the individual to consider what features and finishes best suit their lifestyle and preferences, with evocative images flashing across the screen. So the app also explores the new Bentley’s features (it is Bentley’s first SUV) while it also tells the Bentley story that inspired the Bentayga.
Kevin Rose, board member for sales and marketing, commented, “Configuring a Bentley is an intensely personal experience; it is a reflection of your personality and taste. The Inspirator aims to understand the inspiration behind the process of specifying a car. It provides intelligently curated responses which can be personalised further to truly make the car your own.”
Chris Wood, managing director at VML London, added, “A brand like Bentley must constantly strive to exceed the highest expectations of its customers and prospects. Therefore, the services and content we produce must be creatively ambitious and flawlessly executed.”
The app is currently available for the Bentayga only. The rest of the Bentley range will be added to the Inspirator in the next few months.
