LANCASTER, Pa. -- Armstrong Holdings Inc. has established Armstrong Corporate Marketing, a new business group which will coordinate and integrate marketing activities throughout the company. The new structure enables the company to better concentrate resources on its customers by providing the products and services that meet their needs, the company said.

The move complements the earlier appointment of senior vice president April L. Thornton as Armstrong's chief marketing officer. Thornton reports to Armstrong CEO Michael D. Lockhart.

"Our new Corporate Marketing organization will help us coordinate our marketing efforts to strengthen the Armstrong brand and inspire customer preference for our products," said Lockhart.

Armstrong said the key roles of the new Corporate Marketing function are to leverage and reenergize the Armstrong brand in the marketplace; garner and utilize customer insights from market research to drive marketing activity; maximize the full potential of an integrated approach to key marketing activities such as advertising, promotion and merchandising; and leverage Armstrong's E-business investment to serve the needs of channel customer and consumers who purchase our products.

Corporate Marketing will directly serve and be held accountable for the marketing services needs of Armstrong Floor Products (AFP) and Armstrong Building Products (ABP), and provide strategic marketing input for Armstrong Wood Products (AWP). A further outcome of establishing Corporate Marketing will be to provide increased opportunities for broader global perspective to impact strategic and marketing planning across the organization, the company said.

Among the details of the new organization and the revised reporting responsibilities that accompany it, marketing communication functions for AFP and ABP will report directly to the chief marketing officer. Market research currently housed within those business units will also become a centralized function. Armstrong's E-Business organization will also report to Thornton, recognizing the growing influence of the Internet on both personal and professional buying decisions.