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In this article Julie Croasdale comments on some of the findings from the Construction Media Index 2022 on the sources of technical information that construction decision makers use.   Product information drives the idea generation and product selection processes that decision makers undertake to specify products. This can take many forms including: aspirational imagery; technical…

The seventh edition of the Construction Media Index has been released. This is a survey of construction professionals which Competitive Advantage have been conducting bi-annually since 2008. It started as a measure of how decision makers were moving from traditional hard copy publications to what was then the ‘new’ digital communications. With the pandemic, a…

Trust is a factor in marketing and sales of construction products which has always been important, with the focus and awareness of specifiers on this subject increasing in the last few years. There are two key areas that building product manufacturers need to get right to maximise this element of their communications. As we have…

The use of offsite manufacture for construction in the UK continues to grow. Our latest analysis, based on live projects in Barbour ABI, shows that in 2022 live projects using some form of offsite element were worth in excess of £28.6 billion, compared to just £1.5 billion in 2013. The 2016 Farmer Review, “Modernise or…

As a consultant and trainer, one of the questions I am most asked is, “What should my marketing spend be?” Back in the last decade Competitive Advantage ran a survey, in conjunction with CIMCIG, to answer this question. So, with probably 10 years since the last one, we were really pleased to learn that NBS…

As part of its Building Safety Bill, the UK government has included a National Regulator for Construction Products to oversee and enforce the rules. With power to make regulations to require that construction products placed on the UK market are safe and can be used safely. This specifically includes requiring manufacturers to supply clear and…

As product manufacturers prepare for what is expected to be a tougher 2023, many are recognising that they need to improve their engagement with the specifier to increase product specification and reduce the effect of price competition when sub-contractors purchase. To be effective that means understanding the drivers of importance to architects – zero carbon, the…

As we approach COP As part of its role hosting the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) a raft of sustainability measures have been announced. Construction has an important role to play in implementing these. Just what are they and how should you be planning? Last week the UK government published its Net Zero…

Since the pandemic began there has been talk about the New Now and what it might mean, but no one expected the journey there to be quite so challenging. In my article Welcome to the New Now I talked about how things might be different in future, this time I want to consider the journey…

CPD seminars are an effective tool for starting a new relationship or enhancing an existing one with a practice. Architects are required to complete 35 hours of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) each year, other professionals have to meet similar requirements.  CPD seminars are a proactive way to introduce your company and demonstrate technical competence. This…