The tile industry has united in a marketing and education initiative designed to inspire consumers and provide information on all of tile’s benefits. The campaign, called Why Tile (SM), is being introduced to the industry here at Coverings.

Why Tile is an industry effort with input sought from various industry organizations including the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), the Tile Contractors Association of America, and the Tile Heritage Foundation (THF), in addition to manufacturers worldwide. Why Tile is coordinated by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).

“We’re so pleased to give Why Tile a ‘friends and family’ introduction here at Coverings,” says Eric Astrachan, Executive Director, TCNA. “In developing Why Tile, we’ve had the pleasure of reaffirming everything that’s so wonderful about tile. With Why Tile, we’ll be delivering this messaging to consumers and to the A&D community as never before and in new and impactful ways ---  most notably, through the website, WhyTile.com.”

WhyTile.com provides extensive messaging on the benefits of tile, centering on four main tenets: Design, Easy Care, Healthy Spaces, and Heritage. The site features an Inspiration Gallery; downloadable Project Guide, schematics, and maintenance tips; and a Test Your Tile IQ feature where users can take a simple 10-question quiz for a chance to win a prize.

“As with any website, WhyTile.com will constantly evolve and provide a means for our audiences to derive inspiration and access planning resources ---  we want this to be both engaging and a helpful tool,” says Kathy Meyer, Marketing Director, TCNA. “We’re excited to get out there with Why Tile, and this is just the beginning of what I know will be a long and colorful story.”

“Developing Why Tile even to this nascent stage has been very rewarding, in that it is the culmination of the vision of such a diverse group coming together ---  including competitors, and folks who would normally never be around a table together – in a cooperative manner I’ve never seen in nearly 30 years in marketing and advertising,” says Julie Peck, Creative Director, TCNA. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done to date, and look forward to refining and expanding upon it with the further input of our partners and the industry as it is introduced here at Coverings.”


The TCNA is a trade association representing manufacturers of ceramic tile, tile installation materials, tile equipment, raw materials, and other tile-related products. Established in 1945 as the Tile Council of America (TCA), it became TCNA in 2003, reflecting its membership expansion to encompass all of North America.