Jan 16, 2024
You see them in car cupholders, at the gym or sipped around the office. The Stanley Tumbler has had a meteoric rise to fame in the last couple of years. But how did a 110-year-old company with limited digital presence become a staple in popular culture? Here are three key marketing lessons we can learn from the Stanley obsession.

Embrace a new audience
In 1913, William Stanley discovered that using steel to insulate a vacuum bottle kept cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot for hours. The rugged bottles were first popular for use in the military and later by construction workers, farmers and outdoorsmen.


But in 2017, Linley Hutchinson, Ashlee LeSueur and Taylor Cannon started an online shopping blog for women called the Buy Guide. One of the very first products they featured? The Stanley 40-oz Quencher. 


After years of disappointing sales, Stanley was planning on discontinuing the Quencher. But the leaders of the Buy Guide loved the look and function of the bottle and encouraged them to continue production. Stanley agreed to a partnership with the Buy Guide to sell cups directly to their blog audience. They started with a limited run of 5,000 Quenchers, selling out almost instantly. The cup quickly took off on Instagram and TikTok with women of all ages and the rest is history. 


The eye-opening moment for Stanley was taking a chance on this new audience, a radical departure from their current one. With the right partner, Stanley discovered the untapped market potential of their products and embraced this new group of consumers. 

Keep the momentum going
Even though their cups were flying off the shelves, Stanley kept their marketing momentum going, building continued excitement around the Quencher with new seasonal colors, limited releases and fun collaborations with other brands and even country star Lainey Wilson. 

Their limited edition pink Starbucks cup which is available now is almost entirely sold out and selling secondhand for hundreds of dollars on eBay. 

When the brand officially partnered with Target as a key retailer, even more seasonal and holiday-themed colors came out: Citron, Jade, Bubblegum pink, Fog, Tie Dye and more. Much like the old Black Friday in-store sales, new release days bring a surge of Target customers sprinting to the shelves. 

Stanley still builds hype around their newest releases with special “drop” events and pre-order lists for the latest edition. This fresh and digital-focused marketing approach keeps consumer focus in the present and well into the future. 

Seize every opportunity
A few months ago, a woman posted a TikTok of the inside of her car that had caught on fire overnight. Everything inside was destroyed, except her Stanley cup—which still had ice in it. The video racked up millions of views online, with people calling it the best unintentional Stanley ad ever. 

And Stanley jumped at the opportunity. They didn’t just give the woman a shoutout online, they went the extra mile and gifted her a brand-new car. Just like the original car video, this marketing stunt went viral. So often in marketing, timing is everything. With a fast reaction to this rare chance to engage directly with someone from their audience, Stanley strengthened their brand loyalty—and found some new fans. 

Marketers can learn a lot from studying the Stanley craze. Interested in engaging a bigger audience in bold new ways? What about boosting your digital marketing strategy? We’re here to help. Reach out to learn more about our collaborative approach.