In a sector responsible for shaping the physical fabric of our society – our homes, schools, hospitals, and workplaces – it is striking how little visibility the construction and built environment industry has in the public consciousness. Despite its vast economic and social contribution, construction continues to suffer from a marketing deficit: under-invested, under-valued, and under-leveraged.

This is not just a commercial problem; it is a barrier to progress. If the sector is to meet its commitments on sustainability, net zero, diversity, and innovation, it must engage more effectively with clients, policymakers, talent, and the wider public. That requires stronger, better-resourced marketing.

We organise the CMA Awards, which is now in its 25th year. We could see the need to go beyond our annual celebration of marketing excellence across the industry and work even more closely with marketing professionals to campaign collectively on these crucial issues.

The result is the Construction & Built Environment (CBE) Marketing Network – the UK’s first dedicated community for marketing professionals across construction, property, architecture, engineering, and the wider built environment. Our aim is simple: to raise the profile, standards, and impact of marketing in the sector. In doing so, we hope to contribute to the long-term cultural shift the industry needs.

In an industry that is both highly competitive and undergoing profound transformation – from decarbonisation to digitisation to cultural change – a deficit in marketing budgets is a dangerous warning sign. Marketing is not an optional extra; it is the connective tissue that links innovation to adoption, strategy to execution, and reputation to trust. Without it, good ideas fail to reach the right people, and the sector’s ability to lead change is severely diminished.

The challenges facing the industry are immense. Decarbonising the built environment will require the adoption of new products, processes, and behaviours at unprecedented speed and scale. Net zero targets cannot be met without persuading clients and supply chains to choose lower-carbon options. Skills shortages cannot be solved without attracting a new generation of talent. Building safety and regulatory changes demand better information flow and more transparent communication. In all of these areas, marketing is not a peripheral activity; it is a core enabler.

Yet too often, marketing is still treated as a downstream communications function rather than an upstream strategic partner. This results in underinvestment, under-resourcing, and a lack of alignment between marketing and business objectives. With marketers forced into delivering everything from brand management to lead generation, from content creation to market research, we can currently expect a future of burnout and a struggle to demonstrate return on investment when they are expected to do so much with so little.

Part of the problem is perception. Construction is a sector that prides itself on tangible outputs – buildings you can touch and infrastructure you can measure. Marketing, by contrast, can feel intangible. But the truth is that effective marketing delivers very real commercial outcomes. It builds brand equity, accelerates sales cycles, drives adoption of new technologies, and strengthens customer relationships. When measured properly – not just in terms of impressions or clicks, but in revenue growth, customer retention, and lifetime value – marketing proves itself as one of the highest-return investments a business can make.

The CBE Marketing Network exists to help change these perceptions, equip marketing professionals with the tools and insights they need, and provide a platform for sharing best practice across the sector. It is also about collective voice: giving marketers from all parts of the industry a forum to discuss challenges, influence policy, and advocate for the role of marketing as a driver of strategic success. By building this year-round community, we aim to complement the CMA Awards with an ongoing programme of discussion, learning, and collaboration.

But we also need fresh evidence to inform the conversation. The world is changing at pace. The macroeconomic backdrop has violently shifted throughout the 2020s. Digital adoption has accelerated. Sustainability has moved further up the boardroom agenda. We need to understand whether marketing investment in the sector has kept pace with these factors, stagnated, or declined.

That is why we are partnering with our sponsor Barbour ABI and Futurebuild to launch new research into the state of marketing across the construction and built environment sector in 2025. This study will offer a clear, evidence-based view of how the industry is resourcing and valuing its marketing functions today.

The results will help us identify where progress has been made, where the gaps remain, and – crucially – how marketing investment is linked to the sector’s ability to deliver on big strategic priorities such as sustainability, net zero, digital transformation, and talent attraction.

We will shortly be inviting marketing leaders, practitioners, and business decision-makers from across the sector to take part in the survey. Your input will be vital in building a complete picture and ensuring the findings reflect the full diversity of organisations in our industry.

If we want construction and the built environment to have a stronger voice, better influence, and greater impact, then we need the data to make the case for change. Taking part in this research is one simple, practical way to help achieve that.

Because in the end, the marketing deficit is not just a challenge for marketing departments – it is a challenge for the whole industry. If we truly believe in a better, more sustainable, and more innovative built environment, then we must give marketing the resources, respect, and role it needs to help get us there.

Want to take part?

If you’d like to receive the survey as soon as it’s live at the end of August, simply email us here