Marketing Function in U.K. Construction Contracting and Professional Firms

Abstract

The failure of construction firms to adopt modern management systems has been remarked on by many authors. The marketing function has come in for particular criticism. This inadequate attention to marketing is also manifested in the paucity of reported research and helpful general literature on the subject. This paper reports on research carried out to address this problem. After a thorough literature review, a questionnaire survey of construction firms was undertaken to investigate their current marketing strategies and practices. The survey results indicate that firms are increasingly realizing the importance of marketing, with contractors being ahead of professional firms in the planning and implementation of marketing activities. It is however noted that marketing is being conducted in an ad hoc manner. Only one out of three firms surveyed employ marketing professionals or make use of services of external marketing consultants. There is a need for better understanding of what marketing really is and ways of improving its planning and implementation by both professionals firms and contractors.