LEXINGTON, KY — Florida Tile has announced the release of an innovative 240-page product directory for 2012 which represents a radical departure from traditional hardcopy and e-publication catalogs.
Florida Tile Marketing Director Sean Cilona says the catalog, just now beginning to reach dealers, distributors, architects, designers and builders, “is inspired in that it not only combines commercial and residential products for use by both markets, it also establishes an accessible photo archive for professionals as well as instant, easy access to tech data.”
“In the past, the thinking in our industry has been to separate commercial and residential product catalogs, but since the lines between the two are converging as homeowners seek more robust products and the commercial market seeks higher design values it became obvious from a marketing standpoint to represent them together,” Cilona added.
He notes that the first lines of the catalog set the stage for the new concept: “Tile is no longer just for kitchens or bathrooms. As a matter of fact, many architectural & interior design professionals around the world are embracing porcelain tile for new uses everyday, from main living areas to external cladding.”
“To highlight and differentiate our extraordinary commercial product lineup, we have noted those tiles in the catalog with the new Florida Tile Commercial Logo. Commercial products also are presented with a black background in the catalog pages. This not only makes them readily identifiable but also enhances the natural beauty and qualities of these tile lines as they tie into our merchandising program,” Cilona said.
Commercial and format indexes appear on pages 4 and 5. According to Cilona, “This means that on one page in print or in electronic format, customers can learn virtually everything they need to know about every Florida Tile line, from durability to recycled content to wet and dry coefficients to ADA compliance and more. Additional technical data ranging from installation specifications to product handling and facts on our sustainability programs is available at the back of this book.”
“Think of the power this approach puts into the hands of customers like architects, designers and building specifiers, even the consumer and trade media, especially when it is all available in digital disk form and will be download-able on our soon-to-be-announced newly designed website,” said Cilona.
“Imagine the value to everyone in the Florida Tile retail chain who can obtain updated product information and photos to include actual installations as well as product shots and then download them for their own use, be it their own website or a major customer presentation and formal bid,“ Cilona continued.
“We envision the E-version and on-line version of the catalog to be a living document. To that end, we invite vendors, designers, architects and builders, even homeowners to submit photos of an excellent installation so we can provide it as inspiration and another job well done by Florida Tile,“ Cilona concluded, adding that the catalog also will be featured in high or low resolution versions, formatted for mobile phones and e-readers.