Marketing Suite: an integrated marketing hub within your offices
Why bring it in-house: a content volume on a different scale from 2015
Bringing a Marketing Suite in-house is a real estate trade-off, not a marketing project: 2,200 to 3,800 EUR excl. VAT/sqm of equipped investment versus 180,000 to 420,000 EUR/year in outsourcing, with a return on investment generally seen in under two years. A Kytom suite of 150 to 300 sqm brings together a packshot photo studio, podcast room, video stage, UX bench, creative space and client presentation room. For a marketing department producing 3 pieces of content per week, the outsourcing costs for shoots quickly become a significant budget line. Kytom has been designing these spaces since 2006, deploys its teams across 11 agencies in France and Spain, and applies a standardised technical framework (NR 25 acoustics, CRI above 95 lighting, 10 Gb/s fibre), with an average lead time of 12 weeks.
Marketing departments today produce a volume of content on a different scale from that of 2015, driven by the multiplication of formats and digital channels. The typology includes e-commerce visuals, social videos, B2B podcasts, product demos and user testing. The cost of outsourcing a day of shooting, excluding post-production, can represent a significant budget, which is prompting mid-cap companies and large groups to set up an internal hub.
Three levers justify investing in an integrated suite:
- Productivity: an integrated marketing team gains production pace and amortises the investment over the medium term, without depending on external providers.
- HR appeal: creative profiles (videographers, UX researchers, content managers) require professional tools on site. The retention rate for these creative roles improves noticeably when professional tools are available on site.
- Strategic speed: centralising UX testing, client presentations and product showrooms shortens decision cycles.
For the CFO and the Asset Manager, the Marketing Suite is a productive real estate asset, not an operating cost. Contrary to the dominant accounting view that files these spaces under marketing expenses, Kytom positions them as CAPEX infrastructure amortisable over 7 to 10 years, with significant avoided rent compared with an external studio rented on an ad-hoc basis. A headquarters equipped with an operational suite generally has stronger rental appeal than an equivalent standard floor plate, due to the differentiating use value of its fittings. This reading changes the trade-off: it is not the marketing department that funds it, it is the use value of the sqm that is reconfigured.
When bringing it in-house is not the right answer. Below 80 pieces of content produced per year, outsourcing remains more cost-effective: the integrated suite reaches a break-even point from 150 to 200 pieces of content annually. For a marketing team of fewer than 5 people or a content budget below 120,000 EUR/year, the Marketing Suite generates marked under-utilisation and an ROI of over 5 years. Likewise, if production is concentrated on a single format (packshot only, for example), a single-use studio of 40 sqm is enough and avoids the full investment.
Kytom frames the three selected dimensions in 3 workshops over 4 weeks, drawing on the database of projects capitalised since 2006 across more than 1200 projects.
6 sized modules: from the 25 sqm packshot to the 60 sqm video studio
A Kytom Marketing Suite is built around 6 modules sized according to the real uses of marketing. Each module complies with a standardised acoustic, lighting and network framework, deployed across all Kytom agencies and updated in 2024.
| Module | Surface area | Key specification |
|---|---|---|
| Packshot photo studio | 25 to 40 sqm | 3 m cyclorama, 4 to 6 LED sources, CRI above 95 |
| Podcast room | 12 to 20 sqm | Reverberation time below 0.3 s, 2 to 4 XLR mics |
| Video studio | 30 to 60 sqm | Ceiling height greater than or equal to 3.20 m, green screen, technical grid |
| Creative space | 35 to 50 sqm | 4 to 8 workstations, calibrated screens, graphics tablets |
| Product wall | 6 to 12 linear m | Museum-grade lighting, modular fixings |
| UX bench | 15 to 25 sqm | One-way mirror, eye-tracker, control room for 4 to 6 observers |
A client presentation room of 25 to 40 sqm completes the set, with an 85-inch screen, 4K videoconferencing and furniture reconfigurable into 3 scenarios. The observed ratio remains 18 to 25 sqm per employee active on the suite, versus 7 to 12 sqm per workstation in a tertiary open space according to Actineo « Baromètre Espaces de Travail 2023 ». Specialised furniture is selected among Vitra, Herman Miller or Knoll references according to the client brief.
Our reading here departs from the industry orthodoxy that favours maximum specialisation per module. Kytom regularly observes that over-specialisation produces marked under-occupancy of advanced modules (dedicated UX bench, strict video studio) over the first year. Kytom’s editorial logic favours 2 versatile modules covering most uses rather than 4 ultra-specialised modules: this hybrid approach noticeably shortens the return on investment.
Limits of the 6-module model. On a footprint below 150 sqm, combining video and photo studios into a single module avoids the chronic under-occupancy of advanced spaces. A dedicated UX bench is only justified beyond 12 user tests per month; below that, an equipped mobile meeting room is enough. A fixed product wall loses its value if catalogue turnover exceeds 6 new references per month: opt instead for a modular picture-rail system.
The Kytom method: 5 steps scheduled over 12 weeks
The method unfolds in 5 steps scheduled around the standard Kytom lead time, with a single project manager and a certified partner acoustician.
- Needs audit (2 weeks): interviews with 6 to 10 users in marketing, communication, UX and IT, analysis of the last 12 months of production, mapping of flows and volumes.
- Functional scenarios (2 weeks): 2 to 3 costed layout plans, acoustic simulation, lighting study compliant with the regulatory requirements applicable to tertiary spaces, and electrical load calculations.
- Detailed design (3 weeks): execution plans, technical specifications, selection of furniture and AV equipment from among 40 listed suppliers.
- Works and integration (4 to 5 weeks): coordination of 8 to 12 trades, acoustic calibration with RT60 measurement per NF EN ISO 3382-2, fibre network configuration for 4K flows, AV commissioning.
- Delivery and training: technical acceptance in 48 hours, user training over 2 days, Kytom hotline 8am-6pm for 90 days, and 2 fine-tuning visits at D+30 and D+90.
For the Office Manager and the real estate project manager, the standard lead time is not the execution time, it is the time between a signed brief and the first shooting session. This reading includes 4 weeks of upstream framing rarely factored into competing schedules, which explains the gap frequently observed with the 8-week lead times advertised by other players: upstream under-sizing systematically produces weeks of post-delivery rework.
Method
- Commercial framing
Define the expected KPIs with your sales management: conversion rate, target visit duration, visitor typologies. Without quantified objectives, the design drifts towards pure aesthetics. - Audit and programming
Map your current sales journey and identify friction points. Our team assesses the site, measures flows and formalises a precise functional programme across 5 mandatory zones. - Scenographic design
Development of the narrative approach in 3 phases (promise, proof, projection). Validation through 3D or VR immersion to confirm the experience before any major budget commitment. - Detailed technical studies
Engineering studies for lighting, redundant power circuits, digitally sized HVAC plenum, acoustics. These neglected packages account for 80% of post-delivery rework. We handle them at the detailed design stage. - design and build delivery
Site management with a single Kytom point of contact: all trades coordinated, contractualised budget, guaranteed lead time. Weekly site meetings and transparent client reporting. - Commissioning and training
Turnkey delivery with training of your sales teams on lighting scenarios, digital content and visitor journeys. Follow-up at 3 and 6 months to adjust based on field feedback.
