Marketing: Marketing marble

Have you ever wondered about marble? I must admit that although I have always loved marble, I have never really given too much thought about where it actually comes from.

It is certainly a very lucrative business. The marble trade in India for examples is worth US$650 million, with 95 percent of India's marble coming from Kishangarh in northern India. 100,000 of its residents are employed in the industry.

Channel News Asia reports that S Paliwal, Business Manager, R K Marbles, said: "Marble was named according to the place where it came from. For instance, Makrana marble (used to build the Taj Mahal) is named after the (town) where it was quarried. The name sells."

In order to remain competitive in what is now a high tech industry, there is greater focus versatility and a diverse range of colours, rather than just traditional black and white.

It seems that marble is like so many things in life, it is not just a matter of black and white.