The Stanley Effect! How a Century-Old Brand Adapted to the Social Media Era and Won

An unlikely fashion accessory, but one which has resulted in over $750 million in sales - the Stanley Cup is the ultimate ‘it girl’ must-have.

Although, it hasn’t always been the case. Let’s start from the beginning…

The Rise of the Iconic Stanley Quencher:

1913 - William Stanley invented the steel vacuum-sealed bottle after graduating from Yale University. This innovative design “forever changed the way hot drinks were consumed” and the company found success by targeting workmen who were often after an ‘on-the-go’ solution for their hot drinks and beverages.

2016 - Over 100 years later and after much success with their wide range of products, Stanley released the ‘Adventure Quencher’. Notable product features included a straw, a handle, and (as an adaptation to modern times) the Adventure Quencher was also made dishwasher safe. Once again, this product was targeted as an ‘on-the-go’ solution for workmen, hikers, mountaineers, and adventurers.

2017 - The Quencher was discovered by Linley Hutchinson, Ashlee LeSueur, and Taylor Cannon - the founders of The Buy Guide, (an Instagram account that promoted online shopping finds). The Buy Guide promoted the insulated cup on their Instagram page, and spoke highly of the product's many great features.

This opened Stanley up to a whole new target audience, as the page had an audience demographic of 97.7% women, aged 35 to 44 - a huge variation from the previous demographic buying Stanley cups.

2019 - Stanley stopped restocking the Quencher on its website - “although the Quencher was available to buy through trusted stockists, it was not ‘prioritised’ from a production and marketing standpoint”.

However, things changed that year, when Lauren Solomon (Sales Manager at Stanley) connected with Ashlee LeSueur (founder of ‘The Buy Guide’) after seeing the traction that the Quencher received from the Instagram page.

A deal was made, and the Buy Guide’s founders bought 5,000 Quenchers from Stanley at wholesale cost. The result? The Buy Guide stocked, sold, and shipped the tumblers for five days straight. After this, they completely sold out - proving the high demand from their female audience.

2020 - At the same time that the Quenchers were gaining popularity from what was deemed an ‘unlikely audience’, Stanley brought new leadership to the table.

Stanley hired Terence Reilly, the former Chief Marketing Officer for Crocs - a brand that also benefitted from opening up its target audience and revolutionising their marketing.

2021 - As global president of Stanley, Reilly saw value in the Quencher and an untapped demographic that would benefit from Stanley’s product features. After successfully capturing this audience, the product’s sales increased by 275 percent in 2021 compared with 2020.

2022 - Due to high demand and popularity, the Quencher H2.0 Flowstate was released with new and improved features, including 90% recycled stainless steel composition, advanced FlowState? lid, ergonomic handle, and of course, Stanley’s iconic vacuum insulation (meaning water will stay cold for 11 hours, 2 days when iced).

2023 - Since the release of the Quencher H2.0 Flowstate, demand has increased even further. Stanley also decided to launch the Quencher in Europe, stating in a release post “You asked, and we listened.”

Why is the Stanley Cup so popular and what lessons can we learn?

Now we’re all caught up - let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

Stanley’s success came from more than the appointment of a new global president and a post on Instagram in 2017. Whilst these were important key moments for the brand, the success of Stanley can be attributed to its wider marketing values and strategy.

So, let’s unpack some lessons we can learn from Stanley’s wider marketing strategy…

1. Nothing else matters if your product is bad

At the forefront of the product’s marketing strategy, is a product with a tonne of valuable USPs for those in the market for a robust and long-lasting water bottle. The product even comes with a lifetime guarantee. We’ve all heard the phrase “buy nice, or buy twice” and Stanley has a quality-led product. So, despite its higher price, consumers are willing to spend more on a product that lasts.

The Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler is well-known for its large 40-ounce size (often mocked by TikTok skits of people holding other large items, mimicking how those holding them look). However, the iconic quencher also has a variety of other useful features.

2. Keep community and connection at the forefront of everything

Stanley consistently puts their community at the heart of everything that they do. After some scrolling through their organic social media presence, it's clear to see how they are building community and connection into their brand via IRL interactions, launch events, influencer marketing, and all-around authenticity.

For example, the post below demonstrates fitness influencer and Gymshark athlete Anna Archer entering a launch event with Gymshark, holding her quencher. Not only is this a clever collaboration with the well-known and well-loved fitness brand, Gymshark (it is assumed that fitness enthusiasts aim to stay hydrated), but it also adds an element of social proof by having influencers endorse the product. As well as this, Stanley can tap into the pre-existing wellness community and build relationships with them through real-life events where customers can interact with the brand.

3. TikTok is a great tool for influence and exposure

Have you seen the viral video where a woman’s car caught fire - and yet her Stanley still survived? Well, a massive 92 million people have seen the video, and it has over 9 million likes and nearly 500,000 saves.

In short, a woman’s car caught fire, and yet her Stanley survived the whole ordeal and was sitting in the cup holder as if nothing happened. And, not only did it survive, but the cup still had ice in it. This is some serious social proof that the product USPs stand true…

It should also be noted that these videos are just two out of thousands of viral videos, with huge amounts of engagement, demonstrating the product. Stanley’s have also become synonymous with ‘clean girl aesthetic’ and the product is placed in thousands of ‘GRWM’ and ‘spend the day with me’ videos - racking up millions of views.

As a result, the Quencher is hugely desired, by a wide (largely female) audience - ‘The Buy Guide’ founders were completely right! The product is seen to be used by nurses, teachers, office workers, and even school-aged children…

The Stanley Cup hype can be seen in videos from Christmas 2023, whereby many school-aged children were gifted a Stanley Cup and were crying when opening the much-anticipated gift. This has evoked a mixed response from TikTok users in the comments. Nevertheless, it displays that Stanley is more than just a cup - it is a status symbol.

Overall, the impact of TikTok on Stanley’s marketing is undeniable, and the platform has helped the brand reach millions across the globe.

4. FOMO marketing >

One massive element of Stanley’s marketing strategy is that they are difficult to get your hands on. Once you’ve settled on buying one, accepted the above-average price tag, and decided which colour you would like, the next challenge is finding it in stock.

Stanley releases exclusive drops and is constantly switching up their colours and patterns. This means that if a consumer spots a colourway they like, they are incentivised to buy it immediately before it sells out. This kind of ‘fomo marketing’ works because “there is something so thrilling when somebody is waiting,” and it “brings a rush of adrenaline and if they can get it — that's dopamine. The sheer demand and popularity of these cups can be seen in many videos, demonstrating a group of people attempting to get their hands on the latest Stanley release. Once again, a huge amount of engagements can be seen, with the video gaining over 1.2 million likes.

The exclusive nature adds to the hype of the brand - creating an ‘in’ club for those who can get their hands on one and increasing desirability.

5. Storytelling matters

Stanley understands that their product can be used daily and travels around with the person - whether they are going to the gym, working, or travelling. It becomes a very personable item as it stays with the individual on a daily basis. Due to their constant use, some social media users have even claimed their Stanley as an ‘emotional support water bottle’.

Stanley understands this element and their slogan is “built for life”. Not only does this mean that the product will last for a lifetime, but it will also accompany you through your lifetime and be by your side.

To demonstrate this angle, Stanley has written a series of ‘Stanley Stories’ which are available to read on their website, and celebrate “people that put nature and adventure at the heart of their lifestyles and how our products fit into that world”.

It is clear that Stanley is not giving up on the audience that buys their products for outdoor activities such as mountaineering and hiking. However, they have extended their target demographic through platforms such as TikTok. And hey, if it’s good enough for strenuous outdoor activities, then it's good enough for the office!

The wide range of ‘Stanley Stories’ available on the website helps Stanley to build a connection with their audience and focuses on the ‘why Stanley’ factor. Because, ultimately, when you buy a Stanley, you are also buying the experiences and stories that go with it.

To sum up

Some argue this is “peak Stanley” and that Stanley will decline throughout 2024 due to being overhyped and its target audience shifting to a much younger audience (e.g. the children who received one for Christmas in 2023). However, even if this is peak Stanley, what a high peak to end on…

Plus, the brand is working overtime on creating invested audiences through building connections and staying authentic.

Stanley is a heritage brand that has pivoted on its usual marketing tactics and seen huge benefits as a result. This goes to show that explaining “this is the way things have always been done” no longer cuts it in marketing.

A lot of businesses would benefit from taking a leaf out of Terrence Reilly’s book - being open to new audiences and trying new things. After all, a great product isn’t great if it’s not being made use of.