Creating a strong brand for both the sector, companies and - in some cases - individuals is vital to success. We’ve been running the i-FM Brands Survey for decades - it's the only one of its kind in the sector.  We feel that getting to the heart of brand recognition is crucial to the advancement of FM and its growth overall.  It is important to evaluate this, as it’s an area that can make all the difference to visibility, profitability, viability – as well as ensuring that we attract the talent we need to make the sector sustainable, and of course entice customers in and retain them, too.

Buying a brand or buying into a brand is often quite different for a service as compared to a product.  The services that FM offers and how they are delivered are extremely diverse, often in subtle ways, and they are constantly expanding and evolving, using new technologies to enhance them and make them more cost-effective and efficient.

Brand is not just a logo, a strapline, a brochure.  It is much more and needs to express the culture and values of an organisation for both internal and external audiences.  The principles are the same for individuals developing their own brands.  Senior leaders posting on social media, for example, have the opportunity to present their own values as well as the those of the organisations they represent.

Writing for i-FM recently, market communications expert Sophie Donald made the case for assessing and understanding brand from the receivers’ point of view, the FM client’s employees, the customers on the ground who see and use the services provided every day – who better to judge what’s being delivered and how than people on the receiving end?  That’s as valuable a view as the client’s contract leadership, the procurement team and the market more widely.

So, in 2026 how is FM faring with the brand challenge?  The questions we are asking in this survey will help us identify and feedback to you not only if we are doing enough, but which brands in FM are the most enviable, most trusted, most respected, and who are the outliers who might just emerge as the most disruptive.

A strong brand identity helps make you stand out and stay memorable; it is a differentiator in a very competitive market.  Thank you for sharing your opinions and experiences.  This survey is entirely anonymous.