We’re in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They say it’s the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. They also say it’s the most beautiful trophy in all of sports.
16 teams. 4 Best-of-7 series. 2 grueling months of war on ice, featuring the most skilled athletes on the planet.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs don’t even really need marketing because they’re obviously so awesome that … *holds finger to ear* I’m sorry, I’m being told by my imaginary producer through my imaginary IFB device that we’re not talking about the hockey Stanley Cup.
Apparently, there’s another Stanley cup that’s some kind of mug or something. Turns out, it’s extremely popular, thanks in part to a brilliant marketing strategy. Well, OK, let’s get into it.
What Is the Stanley Cup and Why Is It Hyped?
Dear reader, your writer is a Canadian, and as such, has dreamed of hoisting the Stanley Cup above his head since he was a small child, despite having the coordination and skill of a juvenile moose with an inner ear infection. However, I’m reliably informed that in other countries, they play sports that are not hockey. Thus, they aren’t obsessed with the trophy the NHL hands out to the winning team every year. Therefore, when these non-hockey fans hear about the “Stanley cup,” they think about one of the best-selling products of the 2020s.
In this context, Stanley refers to a brand of food and beverage containers that’s over 100 years old (almost as old as the hockey trophy). But the chapter of their story we’re focusing on today begins in 2020 when the company hired Terence Reilly, the former president of Crocs — the Nickelback of the footwear world — everybody pretends to hate them and yet secretly enjoys them.
Stanley’s product line of “Quenchers” rose in sales by an astonishing 275% from 2020 to 2021. And further popularity followed as the products went viral in late 2023/early 2024. Now, Stanley has become a prime example of stellar social media marketing.
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Why Has the Stanley Cup Marketing Strategy Been so Successful?
When people refer to this “Stanley cup” or “Stanley mug,” they mean what the company calls their Quenchers. And many people do refer to them, by whichever name, because they’re incredibly popular.
This popularity is largely a product of internet virality. How and why anything goes viral — whether it’s a joke tweet, a previously unknown song or a marketing campaign — always contains at least a bit of mystery. The truth is, luck is a factor in anything and anyone’s success, and this is especially true for anything that goes viral.
But this isn’t to say luck is the only factor. The Stanley company did a lot of things right to put them in a position to go viral and be so successful. As any Stanley Cup-winning hockey player will tell you, “You gotta be good to be lucky.”
Here are a few things Stanley got right:
The Product
A great marketing plan can sell a lot of units of a great product, and it can maybe sell more units of a good product than its quality alone warrants. But even the best marketing efforts can’t sell a subpar product at the rate that the Stanley brand has been enjoying.
The Stanley cup Quencher is a good product, partly because it appeals to many types of consumers:
- People who drink liquid: You need something out of which to drink that liquid.
- People on the go: Travel mugs are perfect for people on the move.
- People who sip: A traditional challenge for the travel mug has been the straw. Stanley designed its Quencher to be used with or without a straw without significantly increasing the spilling potential.
- People who are environmentally conscious: Many are concerned about all the waste single-use cups for coffee and other beverages generate. Reusable mugs such as the Stanley product are an easy and valuable tool to reduce waste.
- People who want a status symbol: As strange as it may sound, the Stanley Quencher became a status symbol, thanks in large part due to internet virality.
Leveraging Viral Content
Clearly, the Stanley Quencher is a quality product. But have you ever wondered how it holds up in, say, an inferno? It’s a hard question to test, but thanks to @danimarielettering on TikTok, we know. The TikTok user, who goes by Danielle on the social media platform, posted a video in November 2023. Apparently, Danielle had the misfortune of her car catching fire.
The fire destroyed the car and pretty much everything in it. Except … her Stanley cup. It wasn’t in mint condition, but it fared better than anything else we can see in the video. And, as Danielle narrates, we hear some clinking in the Quencher, as she explains the mug has somehow preserved the ice cubes inside.
Now, being able to keep liquids cold in a car fire is probably not the top criterion for people buying a travel mug. But it certainly speaks to the durability and high-quality design of the Quencher. How can you not be impressed?
Far from looking a gift horse in the mouth, Reilly, the president of the Stanley brand, decided to ride that gift horse of free publicity to more publicity. He posted a video announcing that Stanley was gifting Danielle a new car to replace her old one.
This achieved several strategic goals:
- Boosted brand visibility by keeping the story in the news and online.
- Increased customer engagement by getting more people to post and talk about the Stanley Quencher.
- Positioned Stanley as a good and moral company.
Being Authentic
Any company can reel off a list of positive core principles. But the average consumer is wiser — or, arguably, more cynical — than ever. Customers increasingly want to make sure companies’ values align with theirs before they make a purchase. Stanley capitalized on viral and consumer trends by doing a genuinely nice thing … and making sure everybody knew about it.
Communicating With the Target Audience
William Stanley invented the steel vacuum-sealed bottle in 1913. He couldn’t have imagined the role the Stanley bottle would play in cultural trends over a century later. This is largely because he passed away before the invention of television, let alone smartphones, but still, the whole thing was pretty surprising.
For years, Stanley had marketed its products as rugged and durable, suitable for outdoor enthusiasts. Danielle’s video came at a time when Stanley’s approach was to target a more urban and suburban audience, especially women. Danielle’s indestructible Quencher certainly displayed rugged durability, but the aesthetic appeal of the Quencher and the sections of social media where it went viral helped the company augment its brand perception. Now it has become the go-to travel mug for yoga practitioners, rock climbers, podcasters, busy moms and people who just need something to keep their iced coffees cold.
Mastered Brand Responsiveness
If you want to get noticed on social media, you have to be quick. Stanley didn’t just luck out in responding to Danielle’s video. They had practice.
In 2017, three women — Linley Hutchinson, Ashlee LeSueur and Taylor Cannon — founded The Buy Guide, an online shopping blog with an accompanying Instagram account. They extolled the virtues of the Stanley Quencher as early as their second post back in November 2017.
It’s shocking to think now, but Stanley was actually considering discontinuing the Quencher at this time. Thankfully for them, they reacted appropriately to The Buy Guide’s post, ramped up production and learned a lesson in brand responsiveness.
Brand Cooperation
In July 2023, Stanley launched its first celebrity collaboration. Country music star Lainey Wilson promoted the Watermelon Moonshine Quencher, named after one of her songs.
On December 31, 2023, Target released new, red and pink Valentine’s Day Stanley tumblers.
They sold out in minutes, and people offered them on the secondary market for thousands of dollars.
The Stanley craze hit new heights when a California woman allegedly stole 65 Stanley Quenchers from a store. The police issued a warning: “While Stanley Quenchers are all the rage, we strongly advise against turning to crime to fulfill your hydration habits.”
What Role Did Content Marketing Play in Stanley’s Success?
Content marketing involves blogs on a company’s website, email newsletters, white papers and more. But a company doesn’t have to create its own content to market. Stanley mastered the relatively rare tactic of marketing other people’s content.
It’s less expensive than making your own marketing assets. But it requires an incredibly nimble and responsive marketing team. And just a hint of luck.
What Did We Learn?
What does the Stanley mug viral sensation teach us? The truth is, no template can guarantee success. Marketing isn’t an exact science.
The strongest lesson is perhaps this: When the marketing gods give you a gift, don’t spurn it. Capitalizing on current events and cultural trends is integral to the biggest marketing successes.
So, keep being adaptable, keep hydrated and keep cool like a Stanley Quencher’s iced coffee in a car fire. That’s good advice for marketers and hockey players alike.
