Blame it on the heatwave or then just a clever marketing gimmick, but celebrities these days are carrying an unusual bottle out and about every day. Just about everybody—from Alia Bhatt and Ananya Panday to Rashmika Mandanna and Rasha Thadani—has been spotted carrying an oversize coffee cup (and they are not paid to promote it). The cup has replaced the day bag, the large leather tote like the ones seen by Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs or Stella McCartney. All the girls, and only the girls, want to carry this giant cup.
The cup is in fact a water bottle that has been all the rage all over the world for the last couple of years. Called the Stanley Cup, or the Stanley Quencher, it is simply a water tumbler that can carry 1.8 litres of water. Unlike a bottle, this tumbler lets you take larger sips, hence the Quencher.
The American brand Stanley gets its name from the first all-insulated vacuum bottle invented by William Stanley Jr in 1913. It was especially made for men who worked in labour jobs or then went camping and hiking. However, it took a bunch of women for the forgotten company to increase its sales by 275 per cent in 2021. All thanks to influencer marketing.
Alia Bhatt carries a Stanley Cup
The influencer Ashlee LeSueur discovered the Quencher at a local store. It looked unwieldy to carry, but it was actually genius, as its slimmer bottom could fit in a car’s cup holder. When LeSueur realised it had increased her daily intake of water and was easy to carry around, she began to gift them to her friends and promote them on her website. In 2020, Terence Reilly, former CEO of Crocs, joined Stanley and engaged LeSueur to promote the Quencher via influencer marketing on TikTok. Soon, women began gifting each other Quenchers, taking its sales from $70 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023.
While the Stanley can cost as much as $50 for a 1.8 litre cup, India has several local brands that have aped the Stanley design. I bought one for myself from House of Quirk on Amazon (which has half a dozen local brands copying the Stanley design) for as little as 01,500. It changed my hydration habits entirely. I could easily spend a full day outside home drinking enough water (a regular water bottle is 750ml). It was easy to carry thanks to the cup-style handle. And it kept hot water hot and cold water cold for nearly 12 hours.
In the last year alone, I have gifted four to my girlfriends and they have all loved it.
It’s also a fashion must-have. Almost every day I am asked, “Oh you got a Stanley?” Not only is the Quencher instantly recognisable, it has made Stanley a coveted and internationally renowned brand. “No, it’s an Indian brand from Amazon,” I reply. “And please get one, too.”
Of course I love the Quencher. But the real lessons here are for businesses. To start with, women are a smarter and more influential demographic than men, even if the product is created for men. Women will truly appreciate the design and value of your product, instead of buying just for prestige.
Secondly, do not diss the power of social media. Many companies prefer to speak to their customers in traditional modes like celebrity endorsements. But the virality social media can give your product is irreplaceable.
Finally, good design is instantly recognisable. The slimmer bottom is a game changer. Form must match function to create a hero item. Or is it the heroine?
X@namratazakaria