This year’s update to the Construction Marketing Awards (CMA) Client League revealed that the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) entered the Top 10 for the first time in 5^th place, following its win in 2020.

The CMA Client League was established to highlight brands in the construction industry that ‘take marketing very seriously’ and ranks brands based on their consistency in terms of marketing performance over time. Brands at the top have produced work deemed excellent by the CMA judges for the past four years.

The reach of BMBI, a joint enterprise between GfK, the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) and MRA Research has increased each year. Ahead of the 2020 CMAs, the BMBI was shortlisted in no fewer than four categories and went on to win the prestigious award for ‘Best Use of Research & Insight’.

Usage of the BMBI report within the construction sector increased substantially in 2020, and it has also become widely visible to people outside of the industry. The index now reaches decision-makers, advisors and influencers, economists, analysts and commentators. In the past twelve months it has obtained extensive coverage in national and trade media, with over 200 trade press appearances for BMBI and its panel of experts.

Since July 2019, BMBI has been a regular feature of the Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) monthly construction update. Over the past 12 months, HM Treasury, the BEIS and the Cabinet Office have visited www.bmbi.co.uk on various occasions to keep an eye on trends and learn about the industry’s issues.

“The success of the BMBI has exceeded all expectations both inside and outside the industry. In working together, the BMF, MRA and GfK have developed the most accurate analysis of current sales through UK builders’ merchants, adding an important segment to the available data on construction output,” comments John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation.

“We’re very proud of all that the index has achieved over the past six years,” adds Mike Rigby, CEO of MRA Research. “That’s not just for BMBI, but for the BMBI Expert brands because it enables them to put their markets in the spotlight on a national stage. When they explain the issues, people listen and respond, and in speaking out they also build their brands.

“BMBI has become a powerful and cost-effective channel for building material and product brands to reach the decision makers who matter. The brand’s position in the Top 5 recognises the continued success of the index.”

The BMBI is the most reliable source of data for RMI, the UK’s housing repair, maintenance and improvement market. The index is based on data from GFK’s Builders Merchants Panel, which analyses sales by value from over 80% of the sales of the UK’s generalist builders’ merchants. Currently, 14 industry brands, the BMBI Experts, speaking for their markets, explain trends and issues and add insight and context to the data: www.bmbi.co.uk/the-experts

The CMAs are the only awards of their kind and are a national measure of excellence in construction marketing, research and strategy. View the full Client League table at www.cmawards.co.uk/cma-client-league-updated-for-2020