Project Spotlight: Mobile Marketing Unit for Firmenich

Challenge

In the past decade, countless companies have taken their businesses online, offering customers a streamlined and accessible shopping experience. Through the rapid growth of technology, e-commerce has continued to dominate; however, some products and services require an in-person experience to best understand their brand.

Firmenich has been in the scent production business for more than 100 years, creating unique scents and fragrances that billions of people encounter each day in perfumes, hair care, deodorants and more. Firmenich came to Boxman requesting a mobile unit design and build that would quickly give them a way to take their business to multiple locations across the country. The long-term vision was that this marketing unit also could work alongside a larger semi-permanent structure under construction for the Firmenich California headquarters.

Solution

The first step in the design-build solution from Boxman was to complete the structure on an expedited timeline to ensure maximum time on the road for a Firmenich mobile marketing tour. The solution: adaptive reuse.

In only 45 days, Boxman refurbished an existing structure once used for a beauty brand’s mobile tour. The once-dark purple walls were sanded down and repainted in a sleek navy that perfectly matched the Firmenich primary brand color while one of the outer walls was affixed with the company logo. These seemingly simple changes to the outer structure gave the space an entirely new look, and by utilizing a pre-existing unit, they simplified the process by shaving weeks of time off of the build process.

The inside of the structure is where the bulk of the modifications took place. Boxman worked to identify the functional needs of the unit and customize a space that would reflect the Firmenich brand. The company planned to use the unit to host clients around the country in an intimate setting where they could educate these business partner prospects on Firmenich products and processes in a comfortable, custom space. The inside layout of the structure was an open design that enabled multiple customers to be in the space at once for business meetings.

When it came to the aesthetics of the structure, Boxman looked to the contemporary yet natural style of the Firmenich brand. The unit has two walls that can flip up to allow an open-air experience, bringing in natural air and scents. To give the space a modern edge, Boxman installed electrical components including recessed lighting and TV hookups to add comfort and functionality for client meetings. Sleek hardwood floors and wood paneling continued the contemporary look throughout the structure.

Result

The unit hit the road in April 2019 and has been serving the Firmenich team with a mobile meeting space that can quickly and easily move to different cities across the United States. The feedback from the team has been positive, and Boxman is already at work on a five-unit structure that will be installed permanently at the Firmenich campus in California.