Splunk & AWS Immersing guests in the art of the possible

The success of this endeavour relied on creative bravery. Once Splunk and AWS had made the decision to move away from standard product demos, they knew that for the new concept to land with a splash, they had to be prepared to go all in.

Our creative team took the brief and ran – and ran – with it. They took a step back from the concept of data as a digital asset. They played with ideas around visual displays and tactile experiences.

The team mocked up concepts that would create a lasting impact, lingering in customers’ memories long after the physical experience. They worked hand in hand with the strategy and planning team to make sure the customer journey was accurately conveyed through the design of the interlinked, modular assets.  

Splunk allocated a space within their offices to host the SIE. A major consideration for the design and build was that the team weren’t allowed to add any permanent additions to the building’s structure. Another critical element was that the experience had to be adaptable and scalable, so that it could be used for a variety of sectors, and additional business scenarios could be included in future.

Taking influence from the modular world of premium retail, we designed individual units that could be linked together, to lead the audience on a physical and digital journey. 

The completed SIE is designed so that invited customers can be shown Splunk, powered by AWS, in action. Invited customers are guided around the experience, as part of a broader ABM programme. The SIE is the hero element in the ABM strategy, designed to showcase the art of the possible and trigger follow-on conversations.

Creative elements which gave the experience a wow factor included:

• Each zone was different and distinct: from the faithful recreation of an aspirational flat to a more abstract retail zone, a Cubist view of a call centre, and a birds-eye view of the logistics warehouse
• Data as a dynamic presence was brought to life with pulsing ‘data tubes’ that connected the zones
• Physical installations were made to catch the eye and live on in the memory
• A bespoke on-screen design language was developed to clearly differentiate between the user’s view (or websites or POS interfaces) vs Splunk’s back-end systems and processes

Everything was designed to feel fun and dynamic…but rooted in reality. Screens show what might be happening in the background of each step in the journey; for example, a spike in demand and subsequent supply chain issues because a celebrity has been spotted wearing the Splunk T-Shirt. Each stage has a normal mode, to show things running smoothly, and a ‘chaos’ mode - complete with flashing red lights, on-screen graphics and sound effects-to illustrate how Splunk supports when things go wrong.

At the end of the experience, visitors are given a specially-designed Splunk T-shirt to take away.

The Splunk Interactive Experience launched with a reception for specially invited prospects and customers in February 2023.

Visitors had guided tours of the SIE, were given SIE merchandise to take away, and watched panel discussions on digital experience, store operations, supply chain resilience, and sustainability. The Splunk team held roundtable events with top ABM customers, four of whom asked to come back for a tour of the SIE with more of their team.