Ryan Jones, SLG Agency
With the built environment facing a mixed outlook for 2026, marketers are balancing cautious optimism with continued uncertainty. The latest Horizon survey from SLG Agency aims to capture how marketing leaders across the sector are planning, prioritising and preparing for the year ahead.
With a mixed outlook for the sector in 2026, marketers across the built environment are trying to strike the right balance between planning for growth and managing budgets and expectations.
Data suggests growth may be modest in some areas, including housebuilding. However, infrastructure and several other non-residential markets look set to move into higher gear, with pipeline activity worth hundreds of billions poised to move forward. That activity sits against a backdrop of macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, creating a complex environment for businesses trying to plan ahead.
Against that backdrop, the question is: how are these conditions affecting sentiment among marketers across the sector?
Those responsible for shaping brand strategy, setting pricing direction and deciding where marketing investment should go face a delicate moment. For some, the start of the year may feel like an opportunity to accelerate after a challenging 18 months. For others, it may still be a case of holding their nerve while waiting for clearer signs of recovery.
At SLG Agency we have been exploring this question through our Horizon Report, an annual survey designed to capture how marketers across construction and the built environment are feeling about the year ahead.
Now in its fourth year, Horizon has become a useful benchmark for marketers, helping them compare their confidence levels, priorities and marketing plans against the wider sector.
We originally launched the survey during the Covid and post-Covid period, when many clients were asking how their marketing strategies compared with others in the industry. Without strong peer networks, many marketers were looking for a clearer sense of where the market was heading and how others were responding.
Since then, Horizon has grown into a valuable reference point for construction marketers looking to understand how their confidence levels, aims and areas of focus align with their peers.
The survey covers a wide range of topics. It looks at overall confidence in sector and business performance, as well as the tactics, priorities and content themes marketing teams are likely to focus on over the coming year.
You can access last year’s Horizon report here:
https://www.slg.agency/horizon/2025-2/
We are now opening the survey for the 2026 edition and would welcome participation from across the Construction and Built Environment Marketing Network.
During February and March we are inviting construction and manufacturing marketers to share their views on what lies ahead. Participants will receive early access to the findings and will also be entered into a draw to win a £200 Amazon voucher.
You can take part here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JHQQC2J
The more voices we hear from, the more valuable the insights will be for everyone working in marketing across the built environment.