The brief
Polypipe Building Products is the UK’s leading manufacturer of plastic plumbing products, low carbon heating solutions and drainage systems for the residential market. While it is a well-established name among installers and merchants, Polypipe needed to increase its visibility and influence within the housing sector, particularly among housebuilders, developers and specifiers.
This became even more important against the backdrop of the Government’s 1.5 million homes target and major regulatory change, including the Future Homes Standard. Polypipe wanted to build earlier, more meaningful relationships with decision-makers involved in residential projects and to be seen not just as a manufacturer, but as a trusted partner and authority on regulation, sustainability and compliance.
Our challenge was clear: reach a geographically dispersed audience, bring them together in a meaningful way, and position Polypipe as a leading voice in shaping the future of housing.
Audience insight
Before shaping the campaign, Refresh carried out in-depth qualitative and quantitative research, including direct conversations with housebuilders and specifiers, analysis of the Construction Media Index, desk research into online conversations, and a review of trade media trends.
This revealed that housebuilders and specifiers are:
- Regular attendees at industry events and CPDs, valuing face-to-face discussion
- Heavy users of LinkedIn, with 88% using the platform
- Consistent readers of industry publications, alongside blogs and online content
- Under increasing pressure to meet sustainability targets and understand scope 3 emissions
- Highly focused on compliance with building regulations and future policy changes
- Spread across the UK, making targeted engagement more effective than mass outreach
Crucially, both audiences were looking for guidance, clarity and collaboration as the regulatory landscape continues to shift.
35
pieces of trade coverage
30
relationships formed
40%
open rate of LinkedIn newsletter
The campaign
To cut through and deliver real value, Refresh developed an integrated campaign built around a single unifying idea: Housing for the Future.
At its core was a series of intimate, high-value roundtables designed to bring together senior housebuilders, architects and industry stakeholders for open, informed discussion. Rather than large-scale events, we focused on quality over quantity, creating spaces where genuine conversations could happen and long-term relationships could begin.
Each roundtable was aligned with a major industry event to maximise attendance and featured a respected, independent chair to ensure credibility and insight. Topics were carefully chosen to reflect the most pressing challenges facing the sector, including sustainability, regulatory change and the Future Homes Standard.
The live events were supported by a sustained thought leadership and PR campaign, using content and media relations to extend the impact well beyond the room and position Polypipe as a knowledgeable, forward-thinking authority.
KPIs were set as:
- Building brand awareness and authority around legislation and policy
- Increasing direct contact with housebuilders, developers and specifiers
- Shifting perception of Polypipe from product supplier to solutions partner
Execution
Refresh managed the campaign end-to-end, from strategy through to delivery and measurement.
This included:
- Developing the ‘Housing for the Future’ campaign narrative
- Planning and delivering a series of roundtables across England
- Curating guest lists and securing senior-level attendees
- Managing all event logistics and content planning
- Securing high-profile chairpeople, including editors and industry podcast hosts
- Creating post-event content, blogs and social assets
- Delivering a targeted PR campaign around housing policy and regulation
- Creating content for Polypipe’s LinkedIn newsletter as a core channel
Roundtables took place alongside Futurebuild, Housing and ElementalLondon. Attendees included senior figures from Kier, Wates, Barratt/Redrow, Great Places Housing Group, Hexagon Housing, WSP and more.
Each event was followed by coordinated content across owned, shared and earned channels, ensuring insights reached a far wider audience and reinforcing Polypipe’s role as a trusted voice in the sector.
Services delivered
- Campaign strategy and planning
- Event concept, management and delivery
- Stakeholder engagement
- PR and media relations
- Thought leadership
- Content creation
- Social media and LinkedIn strategy
- Measurement and evaluation
The results
Through three roundtables, the campaign delivered:
Brand awareness and authority
- 35 pieces of trade coverage, all referencing legislation, regulation or policy
- Double-page roundtable write-ups in Housebuilder & Developer and Architect’s Datafile
- LinkedIn newsletter open rate of approximately 40%, well above industry benchmarks
- 6,866 article views and 175 engagement clicks across LinkedIn newsletters
Relationship building
- Direct engagement with 30 major housebuilders and architect practices
- New strategic relationships formed with key industry bodies and media partners
- Repeat engagement from developers and architects following the events
Brand perception
- Clear feedback from attendees that Polypipe is now seen as a knowledge partner, not just a manufacturer
- Increased consideration of Polypipe for consultancy and early-stage input on projects
The event-first approach also helped Polypipe strengthen collaboration across the wider Genuit Group, bringing different parts of the business into shared conversations and encouraging a more joined-up approach to the housing sector.
“The roundtables orchestrated by Refresh have been effective for our business. They created a unique and engaging forum that allowed us to achieve three critical objectives simultaneously. First, the events cemented Polypipe Building Products and the wider Genuit Group as the market leader and a voice of authority on key legislation affecting housebuilders and the wider construction sector. The discussions provided a platform for us to share our expertise and influence the conversation on vital industry topics. Second, the roundtables were instrumental in increasing our direct contact with partners across the housing sector, including housebuilders, social housing providers, trade associations, and specifiers. This has been invaluable for building relationships and creating new business opportunities. Finally, these events successfully positioned us as a full sustainable solutions provider. The opportunity to showcase our expertise beyond products has been crucial for demonstrating our value as a strategic partner to the industry. Together we create sustainable living.” Jason Nightingale, Head of Marketing at Polypipe Building Products