Deloitte Digital noticed that at SXSW Virtual Reality goggles and apps monopolized the future of interactive experiences and that the place for musical talent was strictly atop a stage. To differentiate, Deloitte Digital proposed a vision for the future that looks beyond a life tied to screens and reimagines music not as a static product, but as collaboration between artists and fans, a world in which technology reduces barriers between content creators and consumers.

Our challenge was to create a physical manifestation of Deloitte Digital’s vision that would capture the simple premise that interaction is what we as people do together, while showcasing how complex technology can actually serve as an enabler to true creative collaboration.

Noticing the blurring of SXSW interactive and music, we saw music as a universal connecting medium – but wanted to redefine what was possible with it, and redefine what a song is entirely.

Over two months the ARC was developed with Grammy-nominated artist André Anjos of RAC, who created a composition alongside a musical programmer, resulting in algorithms of a song that could not only evolve and change on its own, but also respond to the audience as they played one of the five instruments. The instruments were designed to be intuitive and tacitly approachable for musicians and non-musicians alike, begging to be pushed, pulled, rolled, and embraced. Each instrument had a multi-dimensional impact on the overall experience, changing qualities in the immersive lighting, sonic textures of the mix, and patterns in the song. There was no wrong way to control it, all results were beautiful and musically in key and on tempo.

Participants steered the song in collaboration with others (including André) standing around the six-foot wide hearth-inspired centerpiece, under the visually reactive dome, and surrounded by twenty spatially-mapped speakers.

The ARC far exceeded both Deloitte Digital’s expectations for public exposure and the public’s expectations of Deloitte’s creative and technical capabilities.

• 6,000+ SXSW attendees through the doors of Deloitte Digital’s activation

• 450+ million earned media impressions through major media outlets including FastCompany, MacWorld, and NPR.

• 18+ million social media impressions

• “Best Brand Experiences at SXSW Interactive” as named by CNBC

• Positioning as a creative agency with headlines such as:

o “The Deloitte You Meet at SXSW Won’t Be the One You’re Likely Familiar with” – AdWeek 3/4/2016

o “The ARC: a creative rethink at the intersection of art and science during SXSW” – The Drum 3/13/2016

o “Deloitte Pushes Further into Marketing Services” – AdExchanger 3/7/2016

To bolster brand recognition and demonstrate the ability to imagine and deliver the future, we took Deloitte Digital to SXSW. Inspired by the festival’s intersection of music and interactive, we brought to life the future of music – where a song is the co-creation between artist and audience.

Part technological wonder and part art installation, the ARC empowered SXSW attendees to direct the course of a composition. Instead of creating a linear composition with a start and an end, Grammy-nominated RAC scored with algorithms allowing collaboration with fans.

It’s RAC's music, shaped by fans, and choreographed in real time.

As a 171 year old company, Deloitte has a well-established and well-regarded reputation for the strength of its traditional audit, tax, consulting, and advisory practices. However, Deloitte is less well known for the company’s growing creative capabilities and technical skills under the Deloitte Digital brand.

Deloitte Digital wanted to increase awareness of its offerings and strengthen its brand positioning as a creative digital consultancy. South by Southwest (SXSW), an international conference known for its ability to bring together the best in technology and art, was the perfect fit to demonstrate it has the creative chops to imagine and the technical skills to deliver the future.

Deloitte Digital created a centerpiece installation that would fit seamlessly into the festival’s intersection of technology and music while serving as a true conversation piece challenging what is possible with interactive experiences.