In a world where hydration meets style, one trend has taken the beverage scene by storm – the Stanley Quencher. Imagine a tumbler that’s not just a vessel for your favorite drinks but a champion of functionality and flair. It’s sleek, it’s stylish, and it’s causing quite the stir. But what’s the story behind this latest sensation, and how did it become the must-have accessory?

 

First, a little Stanley history. The company was founded by inventor William Stanley, Jr. in 1913. He fused vacuum insulation and the strength of steel in one portable bottle, thus inventing the all-steel vacuum bottle known as the Stanley bottle, which was designed to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. For over 100 years, the company mostly targeted men, specifically laborers and outdoors enthusiasts like hikers and campers. The bottles were marketed as functional products rather than lifestyle ones. In 2016, Stanley launched the Quencher, a stainless-steel tumbler with double-wall vacuum insulation, a handle and a reusable straw. However, in late 2019, after lackluster sales, Stanley stopped restocking and marketing the cup. 

 

Enter- The Buy Guide. A shopping blog and Instagram account operated by Ashlee LeSueur, Taylor Cannon and Linley Hutchinson, curated gift ideas and highlighted the Stanley Quencher in 2017 to their readers after Ashlee purchased the cup from a Bed, Bath and Beyond store and fell in love with it immediately. Every time they linked the cup, it would sell out quickly. They started to promote the cups by sending gift boxes to popular influencers. The bloggers gifted a cup to reality TV star Emily Maynard, who posted about The Buy Guide and the Stanley Quencher on her Instagram, which caught the attention of the Stanley company in 2019. The bloggers urged the company to restock their Quencher cups, but instead, Stanley suggested that the women purchase the cups at wholesale prices, resell them, and keep the profits. The bloggers purchased 5,000 Stanley Quenchers, and the cups sold out within days. With this, The Buy Guide and Stanley formed a partnership. Stanely agreed to restart the Quencher sales on their website, with The Buy Guide continuing to promote the product. The women also assisted with marketing the cup more to women, such as suggesting more feminine color palettes and promoting the cup as something to be used every day. Since successful influencer marketing campaigns for the Quencher, Stanley has shifted its marketing to sell primarily to women. 

 

Fast forward, and the Stanley Quencher phenomenon rages on. Let’s not forget about the power of exclusivity. Limited edition releases sent fans into a frenzy, eager to get their hands on the latest design before it sold out. We’ve all seen those viral videos of crowds storming Target stores to get their hands on those limited-edition red and pink cups that they are reselling for hundreds of dollars online. Suddenly, owning a Stanley Quencher wasn’t  just about staying hydrated; it was about being part of an exclusive club. 

 

Or what about that other viral video and story that made headlines where a poor woman’s car caught fire, and the only thing that survived the blaze was her Stanley Quencher cup that still had ice in it?  That video alone has sixty million views and counting. The last crazy story I saw was about a woman who was pulled over and found to have 65 stolen Stanley cups in her possession valued at $2,500.00! I’m sure there are plenty more viral stories where those came from, but that’s just to name a few. 

 

The days of the boring green thromase that was once Stanley is no more. Thank, or blame, social media, where users flaunt their collections, showing off shelves lined with water bottles and the hashtag #stanleytumbler has 1.2 billion views and counting. We all know someone who owns a Stanley Quencher. I’ll admit it, I own one, yes, just one. I was curious about the hype and I get it. I’m a fan now. 

 

In the end, the Stanley Quencher craze may not just be a fad and love or hate influencer marketing campaigns, but they appear to be the holy grail of marketing in this digital age. So, the next time you take a sip from your Stanley Quencher, raise a toast to the marketing wizards who made it all possible. Cheers to that!