The Original Super Glue

By Wanda Lenoir

Legendary company partners with retailers to cement relationships with today’s consumers

While it’s memorable to be a trailblazer in the home improvement industry—every company must eventually rejuvenate itself to stay competitive and best serve the changing demands of its customers. Under the new ownership of Pacer Technology, The Original Super Glue Company is pursuing excellence and transitioning the business to leverage its ‘parent company’s global position in the adhesives market.

Independent retailers will play a critical role in the company’s transformation and the successful introduction of new products to multi-generations of consumers. Alfonso Lizariturry, Chief Operating Officer, and Alan Parayre, Senior Marketing, are Pacer Technology’s leadership team members. Both wanted to connect with CEP readers to discuss The Original Super Glue’s new corporate direction and other significant issues.

In just a few words, what defines The Original Super Glue?
Please think of The Original Super Glue as a phoenix rising from its 50-year legacy. Despite its long-standing history, the brand is undergoing a rejuvenation process as the flagship brand of Pacer Technology. We’re actively revitalizing the brand by introducing cutting-edge products that meet the demands of modern consumers. Additionally, we’re amplifying its presence through dynamic marketing initiatives and thrilling sponsorships, ensuring that The Original Super Glue remains top-of-mind in the competitive adhesive market. What sets us apart is our commitment to merging heritage with contemporary innovation. While we embrace our rich family-owned legacy, we’re fearless in pushing boundaries and exploring new horizons. This transformation journey is driven by the collective expertise of our dedicated team, who infuse passion and creativity into everything we do. So, when you think of The Original Super Glue, envision a brand that seamlessly blends tradition with innovation, fueled by a relentless pursuit of excellence.

The Original Super Glue has over 50 years of experience developing specialized adhesives and manufacturing solutions. How is that an advantage in a competitive market?
Our commercial strategy is intricately focused on hardware stores, recognizing them as pivotal channels where consumers and professionals converge, seeking reliable solutions for their adhesive needs. When leveraging our 50 years in adhesive development and manufacturing, our advantage lies in our deep product and technology knowledge, allowing us to offer tailored solutions that meet the diverse needs of hardware store customers. This expertise enables us to stay ahead of market trends and provide cutting-edge adhesives that deliver superior performance. Furthermore, our focus and close relationship with our retailers allows us to provide customized solutions and rapidly respond to their needs.

In 2017 Pacer Technology became part of AC Marca, a European multinational corporation. What are some of the biggest challenges when entering the U.S. market?
For any European company, entering the U.S. market is an exciting and incredible opportunity. However, it comes with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest hurdles is understanding and adapting to the diverse and complex market dynamics. To minimize some of those challenges, AC Marca acquired Pacer Technology, an organization with many years of accumulated market experience, which owned the legacy brand The Original Super Glue.

However, the competitive landscape in the U.S. is intense, with well-established brands and high consumer expectations. Building brand recognition and trust in such a saturated market demands significant marketing and customer engagement investment. Furthermore, cultural differences must be addressed to communicate effectively and connect with U.S. consumers.

Supply chain logistics and company structure, including our manufacturing plant, can also present challenges. However, with over 20 years of experience, Pacer Technology’s existing team made this effortless. Their deep knowledge and expertise ensured efficient and reliable distribution networks, facilitating timely and cost-effective delivery of products across the country. Finally, staying agile and responsive to market trends and consumer preferences, which can vary significantly across different regions of the U.S., is essential to thrive in this dynamic environment.

How do you plan to increase brand awareness among specific purchasers?
For years, The Original Super Glue thrived without considerably investing in marketing efforts as the market was less competitive than in the present. With the arrival of new competitors armed with substantial marketing budgets, our brand was pushed to the background. In recent years, our efforts have focused on bringing the brand back to the forefront of our clients’, buyers’, and consumers’ minds. Despite not having an unlimited budget, we are investing heavily in our marketing initiatives, including partnering with Monster Jam, digital marketing campaigns, and even our first two nationwide television commercials in 2021 and 2022 with Total Tape, one of our new products.

What role does research play in product development?
Research is pivotal in our product development process, enabling us to create unique products and solutions for customers. Creating unique, best-in-class formulations for our adhesives is essential to our success as a manufacturing company. This focus on research enables us to develop new products and continuously improve our existing technologies to adapt to the market’s evolving needs.

Exclusive and unique formulations, such as our in-house developed all-in-one construction adhesive and Sealant, Total Tech, or Superunix, undergo years of development in our laboratory to achieve the perfect product for a flawless consumer experience. Our commitment to research ensures that we stay ahead of industry trends and consistently deliver high-quality, innovative solutions to our customers. We also strive for cleaner, safer solutions.

What is your approach to building relationships with independent retailers?
We have a top-bottom and bottom-up approach. We work with teams at each co-op’s headquarters to build a planogram and warehouse presence, trying to help grow the categories in which we operate. Our bottom-up approach comes by engaging with regional chains to capitalize on that presence and develop the right in-store experience with the brand. Hardware stores and regional chains are crucial to our success in the DIY business. Based on the idea that their knowledgeable and experienced staff provide invaluable advice and recommendations to our consumers, ensuring a positive user experience. By maintaining close relationships with independent retailers, we can learn firsthand about changing consumer needs and receive unbiased feedback on our products’ performance.

Attending Hardware Co-op’s tradeshows is essential for making connections. We are committed to demonstrating our new products live and exploring ways to collaborate to increase store presence and traffic. Additionally, our Monster Jam activations exemplify our approach. Since 2023, we have partnered with regional chains to bring the excitement of Monster Jam to their stores. Through these partnerships, we offer consumer promotions, in-store activation materials, enhanced product visibility, and the opportunity to display a Monster Jam truck in front of their stores. We also invite store staff to Monster Jam events to enjoy with their families, fostering excitement and community connection.

By the end of 2024, 25 regional chains (over 500 stores) will have participated in our Monster Jam activations, and we anticipate growing this number in the coming years. This strategy energizes the stores and strengthens our relationships with independent retailers.

Why is product training a crucial part of the company’s retail strategy?
The adhesive set can be cluttered, confusing, and overwhelming for sporadic consumers, often leading to wrong purchase decisions. The average consumer spends a reasonable amount of time examining the set, picking up several products, reading their labels, trying to compare them, and frequently either putting them back or selecting the wrong product for their needs. These steps can result in frustration with the product and, ultimately, the brand.

To avoid this frustration, we focus on training store staff on our products and solutions, explaining their uniqueness and benefits. This training ensures that staff can provide accurate product recommendations, leading to a better consumer experience and reducing the likelihood of incorrect purchases.

Your two-tiered strategy segments the DIY market from contractors. Why?
We develop products with the end user in mind, aiming to make their projects easier without sacrificing performance. Our two-tiered strategy allows us to effectively address the distinct needs of DIY enthusiasts and professional contractors.

For DIYers, the focus is on providing solutions that directly address their specific problems. Versatile products that simplify the process are highly valued, as they increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. DIY consumers appreciate precise, easy-to-use products that can adapt to various situations, ensuring they achieve their desired results with minimal hassle.

On the other hand, professionals have different priorities. Contractors are more sensitive to promotions and often rely on their extensive experience when choosing products. Time is critical for them, and they prioritize products that can help them complete their tasks efficiently and reliably. Our strategy ensures that we cater to both segments, offering tailored solutions that meet their unique requirements and enhance their overall experience with our products.

While instant glues gave the company its name, The Original Super Glue has an extensive assortment of adhesive categories, sealants, and tapes—how are you introducing them to the marketplace?
Certainly, the company has the unique challenge of being a genericide for the entire instant glue or cyanoacrylates product category, which can create the perception that we only manufacture this type of product. However, our product portfolio extends far beyond instant glues, encompassing several categories.

Maintaining a close relationship with our retailers helps us break this perception by allowing us to introduce and promote innovative technologies across various product lines. We also use Sub Brands, endorsed by The Original Super Glue, to develop those categories. For instance, Total Tech, our all-in-one construction adhesive and sealant; Total Tape, an incredibly strong permanent mounting tape; and our line of epoxy adhesives are just a few examples of the diverse and valuable products we offer. These products enhance our portfolio, add significant value, and drive fast movement within our retailers’ sets.

Stores have limited staff. What type of support can they expect from your sales team?
From what we hear from the retail market, hiring and retaining qualified personnel has been challenging in the last 4-5 years. We develop secondary placement displays to help with category/product information, as well as merchandising materials and application-focused digital material to support the buying decision-making process. Our sales team addresses this by frequently visiting stores. These visits ensure that store personnel are well-informed about our products and allow us to check that the stores are adequately stocked and the products are correctly displayed. Our team can even assist with refilling or reorganizing the displays. This hands-on support helps maintain optimal product presentation and availability, easing the burden on store staff.

We also believe that online training can be an excellent way to maximize the reach and impact of training. That’s why we invest in producing relevant user digital assets that we share at local and headquarters levels.

What is the most important thing you want readers to know?
Probably the most significant takeaway we’d like your readers to know is that we are here to help them grow the adhesives and tape categories and make their lives and customers’ lives easier. Our customers are the top priority for the Pacer Technology team. We are dedicated to building strong partnerships and relationships with our retailers, ensuring that we are just a phone call away for any product questions or needs they may have. Our best-in-class products are designed to exceed customers’ expectations, delivering exceptional performance for all their DIY or professional needs. The Original Super Glue has been around for 50 years, and we plan to stick around for at least another 50.