Barbour ABI

More than 400 high-impact media articles so far this year

14m online coverage views so far this year

Barbour ABI is a construction intelligence company which helps contractors build business pipelines through access to planning data. It provides data on market trends, planning applications and contract awards to clients, and informs official data for multiple Government departments and industry bodies.

Challenge

LMC’s objectives were to raise Barbour ABI’s profile as an expert in construction data, to match the media presence of competitors already established in this space, and to help the industry increase its understanding of the value of robust, data-based decison making.

At the heart of our work was the mining of a vast store of data surrounding planning and spending on construction in the UK. We worked with Barbour ABI to take these large, complex data sets and turn them into high impact, easy-to-understand stories that would appeal to the media and help potential customers understand the value of Barbour ABI’s data.

Strategy

Key to our work with Barbour ABI has been developing our own in-house data analytics and visualisation expertise. This has enabled us to work with Barbour’s data team on equal terms, identifying data-driven, newsworthy insights together and building a truly collaborative relationship.

Our strategy involved communicating regular monthly analysis of industry performance, as well as deep diving into Barbour’s data sets to identify insights we could share with journalists, tracking trending issues and highlighting topics that would gain the most traction.

One of the first data sets we identified for media outreach was planning data relating to wind turbines and solar panels. We used this data to take part in the media debates on the UK's transition to green energy, including the planned locations of renewable energy farms and speed of delivery against Net Zero targets.

We built strong relationships with data-oriented journalists at the BBC, The Times, Daily Telegraph, and the Daily Mail, to name a few. This has moved us far beyond the usual '30-second pitch' to deeper collaborations with journalists who understand that we have gone the extra mile to bring them something unique and insightful.

Results

Year on year, LMC has secured Barbour ABI multiple mentions in almost all national media. Meanwhile, monthly industry insights gain regular coverage in trade media, ensuring Barbour ABI’s name is always in the news when it comes to industry data.

Marketing Director - Barbour ABI

“The strategic element LMC has brought and keeps bringing to how we all deliver communications is just top class. The team consistently goes beyond our expectations. LMC is the best PR partner I’ve had across all the verticals I’ve worked in, because it’s a partnership rather than a transactional relationship.”