N/A / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 29, 2026 / The fourth edition of Horizon, an analysis of trends in construction marketing is pointing to an increased investment of 11% more in marketing by construction companies, with 89% of construction marketers working with consistent or increased budgets during 2026.

Horizon is an annual survey of sentiment, strategy and investment priorities among construction marketers, is produced by [Manchester-based] Construction Marketing Awards agency league toppers, SLG Agency.

Over the past four years the report has identified trends such as the increasing move towards brand recognition to generate leads and construction marketers abandoning high-volume activity in favour of fewer, more impactful campaigns.

With most major projects in the UK construction sector being driven by government initiatives in infrastructure and affordable housing and in priority sectors such as education and healthcare, the results from the 2026 research points to construction companies throughout the supply chain recognising the need for a more targeted approach to their marketing.

The Horizon research for 2026 found that:

• Marketing budgets for companies in construction are expected to be 11% higher than available budget in 2025. Good news following a mean 3% rise only 2 years ago in 2024.

• In addition, 89% of construction marketers are maintaining or increasing their budget in 2026

• 43% of construction marketers now describe marketing as a core part of strategic decision-making in their organisation. This figure is rising from a position where many marketers were still fighting to be at the table at all.

For the first time in four years of Horizon, 100% of construction marketers say they can evidence and demonstrate the commercial value of their function to their leadership team. This is the single most striking stat in the report. It's a landmark number — unambiguous, unprecedented in the series, and directly relevant to anyone making the case for marketing investment internally.

Ryan Jones, managing director of SLG Agency, said: “Amid global volatility, tough market conditions that have lasted close to two years, and a buying environment with growing complexity – from navigating new legislation and regulations to evolving routes to market – a marketer’s job is getting harder. However, our data suggests that this is how marketing in construction demonstrates its worth, by evidencing commercial value to company leadership and taking a role in strategic decision making.

“The overarching narrative over this period has been of marketers working within the construction sector looking for new ways to tackle constantly evolving and complex challenges, with construction leaders turning more to the marketing and communications teams to find solutions.”

There is caution rather than complacency found in the data and survey responses. Positive sentiment about the future of marketing has fallen to 62.5%, a four-year low, with negative responses to the outlook appearing for the first time, while 67% of respondents have said that direct-to-client engagement has become more challenging, which is a huge issue for those focused on specification stage marketing activity.

The full report is available to download at: https://www.slg.agency/horizon/2026-2/