Can Other Brands Emulate the Formula for Stanley Cups' Success?
Photo by Florencia Simonini on Unsplash
Stanley, a Seattle-based brand founded in 1913, was originally known for its sturdy bottles and thermoses, catering primarily to outdoorsmen and blue-collar workers. Its products earned a reputation for being durable, reliable, and excellent at maintaining temperature. After a century of doing business, the company was comfortably earning around $70 million in annual sales.
In 2016, the Quencher was silently introduced. Priced between $45 and $55, this 40-ounce insulated cup featured a handy grip and a sleek shape that fit conveniently into car cup holders, and for the first few years, the Quencher didn't quite catch on. Stanley's iconic green bottle continued to be the top seller annually.
In fact, due to the Quencher's unimpressive sales, Stanley halted both replenishing its stock and promoting the product by 2019. Despite this, the Quencher found an unexpected ambassador in Ashlee LeSueur, co-founder of a commerce blog called The Buy Guide. LeSueur bought a Quencher back in 2017 and became a passionate advocate, gifting it to friends and promoting it to her blog audience.
Big Moves for Stanley
When Terence Reilly took over as Stanley's president in 2020, he noticed the efforts of The Buy Guide in promoting the Quencher and chose to support them. Stanley decided to sell Quenchers wholesale to The Buy Guide audience. The order of 5,000 Quenchers sold out within days, marking the turning point for the Quencher's rise in popularity.
Following this success, Stanley began releasing the Quencher in a variety of attractive colors that resonated well with customers. This strategy, combined with effective social media marketing, transformed the Quencher from a utility product to a fashion accessory. As Stanley continued to release new color options, the Quencher's sales rapidly increased, boosting Stanley’s annual revenue from $70 million to more than $750 million in just four years, providing more evidence of how brands can benefit from having a social media personality with a large audience or a celebrity share and advocate for its products.
Building on the viral success of the Quencher, Stanley also initiated collaborations with celebrities and brands. These collaborations have played a huge role in propelling the Stanley Quencher to fame. Regular releases of the Quencher in limited edition hues often sell out in an instant. Notably, a recent partnership with Starbucks spawned limited-edition color variants of the Quencher which, on their release day, were already commanding hundreds of dollars on eBay resale listings. These limited-edition drops created a sense of urgency and scarcity that only heightened the product's popularity.
Social Media Fans the Flames of Stanley
Fitness enthusiasts, celebrities, and everyday consumers alike became fans, matching their Quenchers with outfits, moods, or even their cars. The color-coordinated Quenchers gained popularity on social media, especially on TikTok, making it a part of many viral videos. Forbes explained how "fans of the water tumblers typically post videos reviewing and unboxing these products—many of which went viral during the holidays, like one young girl who screamed, and another who cried, after receiving a Stanley cup as a Christmas present."
According to Business Insider, "Stanley Cups have become a symbol on social media as they've gained traction. If you've watched a 'get ready with me' video on TikTok or a 'day in the life' vlog on Instagram recently, you've probably seen an influencer sipping from their Stanley Cup while they go about their day." As a result, the Quencher has now become a sought-after item with a growing resale market as a lifestyle accessory that has sold over 10 million units.
These elements have created a ripple effect, persuading both regular consumers and influencers that owning multiple cups is a necessity. It's become normal to see fans collecting an array of different Stanley cups so they can choose a specific model and color for their day to express their style and mood.
The product's popularity has translated into a form of brand loyalty, where consumers end up buying Stanley drinking cups and mugs after getting the Quencher. This has brought Stanley’s entire product line into the spotlight, giving the brand greater visibility and contributing to an overall increase in sales. Stanley's product line began to adopt the appealing colors and designs that made the Quencher so popular.
"[The Quencher redesign] gave us confidence that we can apply those same aesthetic principles across other categories. It gives us confidence that we could even start to refine and define our products that we were most famous for."
Graham Nearn, Stanley design chief, via CNBC
As Stanley introduced new Quencher colors, revenue soared from $73 million in 2019 to $402 million in 2022, thanks to the Quencher redesign and expanded color range. Brands analyst at Morning Consult, Ellyn Briggs, noted how "a rising tide raises all boats."
The Future of Stanley Cups
As the Stanley cup basks in its fame, some noticeable flaws have emerged. Users have reported that the Quencher leaks when turned upside down due to its straw-top design. Although it has a rotatable lid to cover the straw opening, this becomes redundant once the straw is in use. Additionally, the Stanley cup is too big for some car cup holders, hindering its portability. Stanley also offers an alternative water bottle, the IceFlow flip-straw tumbler, which reportedly leaks less. But it doesn't hold the same aesthetic charm as the beloved Quencher.
Some water bottle users have looked elsewhere due to these issues — one brand in particular, Owala, seems to be slowly stepping into the limelight. Owala is no stranger to the water bottle market, offering a range of styles similar to Stanley. Its notable contender, the Owala FreeSip, is gradually gaining traction on social media. Similar to Stanley cups, the FreeSip is insulated and comes in an assortment of fun color combinations. But the real game-changer is its leak-proof design that features a flip-open straw, a big plus for those frustrated with the Stanley Quencher's flaws. Whether these issues make a big impact on the future of the Stanley brand or not, or whether the company redesigns its cups, is yet to be seen.