From Vinavil a new “white glue” for schools and much more

All the vinyl glues currently on sale contain various kinds of bactericides for protecting products against mould and bacteria.

Bearing in mind that certain particularly sensitive people are allergic to bactericides, this must be stated on the label - in accordance with the laws in force - clearly specifying the molecules used.

For the purposes of health and safety, Vinavil has designed a product called “Vinavil Speciale Scuola (Vinavil special product for schools)”, which – while still having all the distinctive features and traits of the well-known Vinavil white glue, obviously including being resistant to moulds and bacteria - is free from bactericides and allergens.

Following a series of tests carried out at its R&D laboratories, Vinavil has chosen a formula that is suitably sterilised to meet these needs.

The product was handed over to Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing. Eurofins Scientific is a world leader in food, environment and pharmaceutical products testing and in agroscience CRO services, with over 38,000 staff in more than 400 laboratories across 44 countries. Eurofins Biopharma Product Testing Kalibios Srl, part of the Eurofin Scientific Group, is the laboratory that certified that the new Vinavil product does not contain allergens and awarded excellent ratings from skin sensitivity tests.

Having ascertained that the idea was good and that the new formula had been given full marks, it simply needed to be launched on the market. Vinavil then carried out a series of marketing operations to ensure the new glue was innovative and appealing. The main focus of attention was, obviously, UHU Bostik, the exclusive distributor that has been marketing small packets of Vinavil products in Italy for a number of years now. Since the new range is designed for primary schools and nursery schools, it was jointly agreed to focus on school teachers and mothers who have a keen awareness of such issues as the safety of their children, allergenic substances and environmental friendliness. So, it was decided to opt for packaging/labelling that focused on these eco-friendly factors while at the same time spotlighting the brand’s authenticity. This resulted in the choice of two colours: a classic red that has always been the brand’s official colour and green that immediately evokes nature. A green strip in the packaging with a picture of a leaf was added to the packaging, which clearly highlights – in white – the words “Dermatologically tested universal adhesive” together with the appropriate logo, “The first containing no allergens” and the test result (“Excellent”). The words “Speciale Scuola” are printed in white against a red background underneath the Vinavil trademark. The final touch was a green cap to really make the new packaging stand out from standard packs.

It should be noted that the new range does not replace the old line, it is actually designed to enhance and extend the old range and is available in a small 100 g bottle, a 250 g bottle and a 1 kg pack. Let's not forget that the old glue, Vinavil in a white bottle with a red cap, is also a pure, solvent-free glue that is quite harmless.

NOT ONLY AT SCHOOL

Do-it-yourself has become really popular with the younger generations. Nowadays children have all kinds of tools at their disposal, including technology, which have made them brighter and more culturally advanced. They share things on social media in real time and when a project goes viral everybody wants to copy it.

One such thing is the famous “slime”, a strange rubbery ball that is soft enough to be squashed, shaped, mashed and slipped between your fingers without sticking to them. Various types of slime are now marketed, but the idea of making your own is certainly more appealing, partly because it saves you money but also because it can be fun to do. Various recipes can now be found on the Internet and youngsters enjoy posting their own custom-designed formulas, even filming how they make them. Using their own special tricks, children mix household ingredients (toothpaste, starch, Marseille soap, shampoo, dyes, polishes, glue) to make their own homemade ‘slimes’. Vinyl glue is definitely one of the basic ingredients and a jar of Vinavil often appears in video clips.

To ease the concerns of even the most sceptical, Vinavil decided to promote an absolutely harmless, dermatologically tested, bespoke range containing no allergens, so children could give free rein to their imaginations without worrying their parents, grandparents or teachers. It is not just children who have fun like this. There are also plenty of mothers, teachers, young people and even more elderly folk, who enjoy finding new hobbies and getting involved in ‘do-it-yourself’. Glue can be used to create paper clothes, original greetings cards, special notebooks made out of fabric, puppets, object holders, paintings, wooden objects and scale models: “art attack” was a very successful TV program in Italy for many years, stimulating everybody’s creativity and triggering off a mass phenomenon. “Vinavil Speciale Scuola” was, indeed, inspired by this trend.

The marketing/sales project was launched during the annual “Back to school” campaign, which UHU began organising in June. Special gadgets were handed out in a holder containing UHU products and “Vinavillino”, a nice little keyring with a small bottle of Vinavil attached, which is also featuring the latest green graphics.

Promotional work is also being planned for both major distribution outlets and ordinary stores making use of bespoke displays: small counter displays for stationery shops, taller ones for major sales outlets.

Working with Uhu, Vinavil has created its own bespoke website: www.vinavilspecialescuola.it, showing all the latest ideas and innovations in the new range. It is also connected to special blogs linked to the Facebook and Instagram pages of blogger mums, who post their own experiences. The Vinavil banner appears whenever you click on a word connected to a school article on Amazon for a total of 17 million times.

An initial market survey suggests that this new range will not completely take over from the old Vinavil product: we expect it to do well with schools and children and increase the sales overall Italy, well aware that Vinavil is (and always will be) extremely popular with both young and old alike.