A car fire ignited a viral marketing moment for the Stanley brand.
On November 15, TikTok user @danimarielettering posted a video showing the condition of his car after it caught fire. Although the car was a total loss, its Stanley quencher tumbler was intact and still contained ice.
The video quickly went viral and received over 84 million views.
Two days later, Stanley president Terrence Reilly produced the original video, sending Danielle some new tumblers and offering to replace her car on behalf of the brand. The reaction received over 32 million views, quickly becoming the best story of the season.
Comments on Reilly’s response were full of praise for the brand, with TikTok users saying:
“This is amazing, definitely buying Stanley now!”
“He replied, ‘It’s great.’ I’m going to have to buy a Stanley now.”
“Do I need Stanley, no. Am I going to buy one now in theory, yes.”
Although the circumstances of this marketing moment are unusual, Stanley Brand is no stranger to TikTok virality.
Becoming a Viral Water Bottle Brand
Over the years there have been various trendy water bottle brands including S’Well, Hydroflask, Yeti and now Stanley.
The Stanley brand has been around for over 100 years and is known for goods that can be suitable for outdoor activities. However, the brand’s target demographic began to change after the introduction of the Quencher Tumblr in 2017.
That same year, the bloggers behind The Buy Guide began sharing links to Quencher introducing the cup to a new audience who were not familiar with Stanley’s outdoor roots. However, in 2019 Stanley stopped listing quenchers on its website to prioritize other products.
The founders of Buy Guide realized that there was a huge opportunity in marketing tumblers to women, and they worked out a wholesale arrangement with Stanley to begin selling the cups on their site.
According to The New York Times, their initial run of 5,000 Tumblrs in 2019 quickly sold out. The success of this initial run prompted the Stanley brand to re-introduce Quenchers on the brand’s official site in 2020, offering more color and an intentionally impactful persona. Marketing strategy to attract more female customers.
This strategy worked. As of 2022, Stanley tumblers have continued to gain popularity as viral items on social media and often sell out. Last year, sales of Stanley tumblers increased by 275%.
What started as an unfortunate accident has already resulted in over 100 million impressions and positive PR for the social-savvy brand.
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