Stanley brand water bottles have skyrocketed in popularity the past year, providing the 110-year old brand with a revival and new image. The company was initially well-known for its sturdy, all-steel double vacuum bottles, which were among the first to maintain beverages’ temperatures for a long period of time. At the time they were targeted towards blue-collar workers and outdoorsmen, but with popularity on social media, the new tumblers have become all the hype with influencers and celebrities showing off their vibrant and trendy cups that everyone wants to own.
The iconic Stanley Quencher tumbler was first released back in 2016, but how did the simple reusable cup become so popular in just a few years? CNBC states that in 2020, Terence Reilly, former chief marketing officer for Crocs, left the brand to become president of Stanley. where he soon learned about marketing with social media and influencers. He did this because he noticed that the brand’s main consumers were men and wanted to expand its audience to better cater to women, according to Inc.com. This online presence helped to boost the new line of cups and became the best-selling bottle the same year. Revenues spiked when the tumblers became a fad on social media increasing from $74 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023, according to CNBC.
To make the cups more worth the hype, the marketing team at Stanley shifted their strategy and created new limited edition lines. Collaborations with popular brands such as Starbucks drove Stanley fans crazy, with many already collecting multiple colors and styles of the cups. Jenna Drenten, an associate professor of marketing at Loyola University Chicago, explains the consumer appeal in an article by USA Today.
“It created tumblers in new limited edition colors, creating both scarcity and novelty. It partnered with influencers and leveraged existing online chatter,” she said. “It moved the product from something useful to something aspirational. But all of this was done without compromising the quality of the product.”
Many are shocked to see how far fans, wanting to expand their growing collection of cups, are willing to go to find the latest cups. Critics find it ridiculous that people would want dozens of the same cups that are meant to be reused. Many videos online show stores like Target have to limit buyers to two cups, with consumers waiting outside before the store opens and rushing to the displays once they do. With all of this taking place, limited edition items can sell out in as fast as four minutes.
Though the cups are still popular today, many argue that they will soon meet their end. TikToker and influencer Marina Neuman posted a TikTok where she discussed how Stanleys are a new middle-class symbol, and how over the years we’ve seen a similar trend with other water bottles like S’well, Hydro Flask, and Yeti.
“Once something became attainable by the masses, it was no longer cool,” Neuman said.
Others agree with Neuman, saying that the cup’s craze is bound to die down just like its previous best-selling competitors. Many have even made fun of the tumbler design with it being huge and clunky mocking the cup’s looks.
Though Stanley’s are still booming in the market, it is expected that in the next year or so, the famous vibrant Stanley will soon sit in the back of the cup cabinet with its no longer-trendy cousins.
