As The Buy Guide recounts on their blog, they approached Stanley in 2019 about changing the focus of the Quencher to “an everyday item instead of a camping item” and to market to women. New to social media marketing, Stanley wasn’t convinced, but the company changed its mind when The Buy Guide was able to sell out its first 5,000-cup wholesale order within days and a second order within an hour, per Retail Dive. Stanley then pivoted its strategy to resell the Quencher online, started producing them in different colors and finishes, started marketing to women, and created an affiliate program of “women selling to women.” And the rest is history.
The company also fully embraced social media — when Danielle Lettering posted on TikTok that her Stanley Quencher was the only thing that survived a car fire intact (and still had ice in it), the company responded and offered to buy her a new car (along with some new Quenchers), which won it accolades from existing fans and earned it new fans.
By 2020, the Quencher became Stanley’s top-selling product, according to data reviewed by CNBC Make It, which also projects the company’s 2023 sales to exceed $750 million, compared to just $73 million in 2019. It helps that Stanley makes good products that are “built for life.” But what has really turned the company around was its willingness to pivot quickly and to embrace social media and a new audience, with the proof in its stellar results.
