Amazon is back at the Port this year with a new rebrand and its largest activation to date to show for it.
The space is designed by Salt and Pinch for the third year in a row. This year the theme is blending quiet luxury with immersive storytelling, which came out of research by insights from Amazon Ads’ “Beyond the Generational Divide,” which is launching Monday, June 16, on the Cannes Lions mainstage.
The study challenges traditional demographic-based targeting, and focuses on brands that build loyalty by uniting audiences through shared passions. The experience starts with a screen-free garden and will feature Rosé and iced coffee fountains, a Prime Video slushie bar, AWS-inspired custom perfumes and Mechanical fortune teller for Amazon Devices.
Brand Innovators caught up with Michael Brown, creative director at Pinch, and Don Strom, co-founder and managing partner of Salt, to discuss just what goes into the making of the Cannes Port Activation.
Left to right: Don Strom, co-founder and managing partner of Salt; Michael Brown, creative director at Pinch
What is the inspiration behind the Amazon Port this year?
To create a space that encourages connection through shared passions, we drew inspiration from France’s iconic fashion houses and the coastal energy of Cannes. The result positions Amazon as a true cultural force, merging historical architectural cues with contemporary design elements that also reflect Amazon’s recent rebrand.
Importantly, we focused on crafting meaningful experiences that go beyond the typical high-gloss activation. This meant building an environment where guests can relax, engage, and exchange ideas naturally, without the formality of traditional meeting setups. The goal was to leave a lasting impression through authenticity, not spectacle.
How does the design play into the brand’s platform?
It all stems from a fascinating piece of research by Amazon called “Beyond the Generational Divide.” The core insight is that people connect more deeply through shared values and passions than by age demographics. Over-segmentation by age can isolate audiences rather than engage them meaningfully.
Our design brings this idea to life through what we’ve called the “Plaza of Passions”—a space where Amazon’s properties like AWS, Prime Video, and Twitch show how they reach audiences by tapping into common interests, rather than focusing on demographic details.
It’s an interesting and strategic shift away from traditional age-based marketing, and one that gave us a rich, creative direction to explore.
How long did it take you to plan this design and what was the process like?
We typically start at the beginning of the year, spending roughly seven months in strategy, ideation, design, production and install. The interesting twist on this year’s rendition, was that the A’maison concept was so well received in the previous year, that we ended up using that as a starting point for this year. While that streamlines some parts of the process, we still have to explore questions like, how does the House of Amazon evolve for this year? How do we keep it fresh and unexpected for guests? How can it adapt to demonstrate some of the ideas that came out of the Beyond the Generational Divide research?
Adapting and improving the A’Maison layout allowed us to respond to some of the learnings we’d had from the previous year, like guest flow and queuing, generous social spaces, tracking shade and airflow to create more comfortable microclimates. These are things most guests aren’t actively aware of, but it improves their experience. Importantly, it also gave us space to dive into creating a rich and cohesive set of experiences around the properties that will be a real first at Cannes Lions.
How long does it take to build out?
The whole process spans about seven months of pre-production—that’s everything from conceiving and creative development to meticulous planning, research and execution. Then, it all comes to life in just ten intense days onsite, where a team of 40 agency specialists and over 100+ crew members from various backgrounds work around the clock to bring the experience to life. It’s a massive collective effort that feels a bit like building a film set, a luxury boutique and an art installation, all rolled into one.
Any fun facts on the build out, like how many bottles of rose are in the fountains? How many custom perfumes? How many plants did you have to carry in, etc.?
Plenty! The experience came to life with 1,628 individual furniture and decor pieces, each carefully selected and custom-made. We brought 156 potted plants to create a lush, green atmosphere, not to mention 250 litres of Rosé that flowed through the now iconic Rosé fountain. Surrounding the Pantiero, we built a massive deck, transforming the space into a seamless blend of Riviera elegance and immersive brand storytelling. Let’s just say, it wasn’t your everyday installation!
What do you hope visitors take away from this?I hope they feel connected, refreshed and inspired – and most importantly, informed about Amazon’s wide range of offerings. Our goal with this project was to create genuine human connections that go beyond traditional demographic boundaries. At Salt and Pinch, we believe (and we see, time and time again) that meaningful IRL experiences can transcend generational divides and build authentic brand relationships in ways that conventional marketing strategies simply can’t ever achieve. So this was a fantastic opportunity for us to help the brand connect with audiences on a deeper, more memorable level.
