Marble Institute of America: Press Room

MIA Answers Industry Need With Showroom Promotion Posters

CLEVELAND, OH, June 18, 2007— A stunning series of showroom quality posters featuring natural stone marketing messages is the latest offering from the Marble Institute of America. "These products help stone professionals educate consumers while promoting marble, granite, limestone, travertine and other natural stone products in their showrooms," said Gary Distelhorst, executive vice president of the nearly 1800 member worldwide organization.

"These posters respond to a need cited in our most recent member survey," continued Distelhorst. "Nearly 60% of the respondents felt that MIA should direct more of its advertising efforts to consumer education. We feel that these posters, with their stone industry specific message, help fulfill this mandate."

Poster Topics:

Two posters highlight stone as "A Genuine Slice of Nature" with a caption that includes the following statement, "Natural stone comes the way nature has created it over millions of years. After it is quarried, blocks of stone are cut, polished, and custom-fabricated for kitchens, baths, floors, and other residential and commercial applications. Every piece is natural. Every piece is unique."
One poster features a scientist with the periodic table of elements as a backdrop. The caption reads, "If Mother Nature only knew what they are calling 'natural'." This poster emphasizes that natural stone cannot be duplicated in a laboratory.
One "Natural Stone #1 in Value" poster highlights award winning bathroom and kitchen projects. Summarized below the images are results from a recent report conducted by Remodeling Magazine showing that upscale bathroom remodels recoup 85.6% of their cost at resale and upscale kitchen remodels recoup 80.3%.
One "Granite Countertops: #1 in Cleanability" poster features a full-color photograph of fresh vegetables on a beautiful granite countertop. Summarized below the image are results from two recent studies that found granite to be #1 in cleanability when tested against stainless steel, laminate, wood, and other countertop surfaces.
One "From the Quarry to the Kitchen" poster tells the story of natural stone - how it emerges from quarries around the world and is transformed into a thing of beauty in homes and offices.

With the addition of these six eye-catching showroom posters, MIA boasts a wide range of point-of-sale materials, books and other materials to assist in the showroom marketing process.

Suitable for framing (standard frame size 22" x 28"), the new 6-poster showroom set is priced at $90 for MIA members and $150 for non-members. The posters can be ordered on the MIA website, www.marble-institute.com, or by calling 440-250-9222. (Posters shipped in tubes.)

About the Marble Institute of America
For over 60 years the Marble Institute of America (MIA) has been the world's leading information resource and advocate for the natural dimension stone industry. MIA members include marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and other natural stone producers and quarriers, fabricators, installers, distributors, and contractors around the world.