Written by: Vickie Sullivan | May 07, 2024
The Rise of ‘My Stanley’: A Marketing Masterclass in Brand Resonance
Talk about a pivot! Stanley, a 107-year-old iconic product line popular with rugged outdoorsmen, is now the darling of 20- to 50-year-old women. Stanley’s president, Terrence Reilly, discussed the reason for the brand’s marketing success and explosive growth during a recent Earned podcast interview.
The backstory: Famous for turning Crocs into a phenomenon, Reilly became Stanley’s president in 2020. Shortly after, he rebranded Stanley’s 4-year-old cup, the Quencher, and sales skyrocketed, going from $75 million in 2022 to $750 million in 2023. Those results are worth paying attention to.
If Stanley can do that, you can, too.
2 Marketing Lessons from Stanley’s Rebrand that You Can Apply
Stanley’s success story offers two marketing lessons that you can apply to your business—and boost your popularity:
• Increase frequency of use. By rebranding the Quencher, Stanley made the cup a must-have item to be used every day rather than when just doing outdoorsy things like camping. Take another look at your business model. Can you switch from doing one-off events or projects to providing your clients with ongoing support and help? Ask yourself: How can I become so useful that clients want to work with me all the time?
• Don’t go it alone. Reilly knew better than to follow the typical launch/event marketing model. By focusing on social media advocates, he built a community. Then, he built anticipation by making the cups collectible. The result: long lines at Starbucks to get “my Stanley.” This is the future of marketing. Instead of following tactic-driven gameplans, take a big-picture look at who can help you create awareness and forge those relationships.
The biggest moral of this story is that popularity can be produced. Reilly used the same marketing tactics to create demand for Stanley’s Quencher as he did for Crocs. Perhaps you can apply his ideas, too.
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