In the ever changing construction market everyone wants to be ahead of their competition. One way of doing so it is to provide quality to clients which usually comes with usage of well positioned brands in the industry. However, when clients have too many options to choose from, being noticed is more difficult. It is well known that professionals settle for nothing less than top-notch quality. Word-of-mouth recommendations are crucial for scoring new business and the best way to ensure this is by using best quality brands. In order to have a clear overview of the perception of the brand, a ‘brand awareness’ study is needed. This type of research is helping brands to increase long term profitability by introducing, maintaining or growing a brand in the market. The European Architectural Barometer “Brand Health Scan” reports of Q2 2017 and Q3 2020 give insights in the position of brands in several different product groups.
Wienerberger, Knauf Insulation and Saint-Gobain were European brand leaders in 2017
In the Q1 2017 of European Architectural Barometer, the focus was on brand research in several applications. Each country yields different results but in Europe based on our 2017 research in 8 countries it is clear that strong brands in the industry across multiple countries are Wienerberger Knauf and Saint-Gobain (including sub-brands as Celotex).
It is clear that many mentioned brands are suppliers of several building materials for several buildings parts. They offer a very broad range of materials and are therefore considered market leaders in construction. The differences between countries and applications are significant and they cannot be ignored, that’s why it is interesting to take a closer look at different product categories.
Strength of floor and wall tile brands differ strongly per country
Overall Porcelanosa and Marazzi have a very strong position in the European market which is mainly due to their strong heritage in Southern Europe. The brands have been spontaneously mentioned by architects mainly in Spain, Italy and France. The most mentioned brands are also to large extent the most preferred brands. Although these are leading brands in Southern Europe, regional coverage of suppliers plays an important role as other brands are perceived to be stronger in other countries
Results for floor and wall tiles from Q1 2017:
Isover, Rockwool and Knauf are very dominant brands within the European insulation segment
Different than with floor and wall tile brands, the leading brands in insulation market are quite similar across several markets. Isover, ROCKWOOL and Knauf are dominant brands and are active across many countries. All three brands have strong market presence in almost every European country which also means that the competition is very serious.
Results for insulation from Q1 2017:
Product categories included in the Q3 2020 Brand Health Scan
The Q3 2020 report is again focusing on the brand strength in several product categories. Categories that are included and that were included in the 2017 measurement are:
*based on N=1.539.
Source: https://www.usp-mc.nl/nl/
About USP Marketing Consultancy
USP Marketing Consultancy is a leading international market research agency that is specialized in the construction, installation, and DIY sector for over 25 years. USP Marketing Consultancy works for internationally renowned companies, such as AkzoNobel, Philips, Grohe, Forbo, etc. Our clients often have pan-European questions about their brand awareness, customer journeys, market opportunities, e-commerce trends and other research needs. USP Marketing Consultancy delivers the insights to make decisions and acts as a marketing advisor for its clients.