‘A brand with heritage but not a heritage brand’: Stanley 1913 on defining ‘the next era’

Millions of people by now have seen the viral TikTok of a Stanley Quencher cup surviving a car fire relatively unscathed.

The US drinkware brand, famous for its stainless steel water bottles, flasks and tumblers, traces its origins back to 1913 and inventor William Stanley Jr.

At the helm of the Stanley 1913 brand today is chief brand officer Kate Ridley, who has made her priority “defining the next era for Stanley”, with the intention to pay homage to the heritage but not use it as the only selling point.

“We definitely have a point of view that we’re a brand with heritage, but not a heritage brand,” says Ridley, who joined Stanley 1913 in April after supporting the brand with freelance consulting for five months.

Bringing over 20 years’ experience from the likes of Adidas and Allbirds, the marketer says she has “a love for brands that want to balance their brand legacy and their heritage”.

Ridley is thinking about what will “take Stanley into the next 100 years”. The business was founded in the “American work era”, as a means to transport lunch and drinks, before branching out into a product for outdoor events. Stanley 1913 claims to have created the “hydration” category in 2020 with the launch of its Quencher tumbler, now the brand’s most commonly known product.

The company already has above 80% awareness in North America, with consumers often sharing personal stories related to the brand, such as memories of using the cups on fishing trips with grandparents.

“I feel so fortunate that we’re a brand with that type of personal connection for people. But I also want to imagine what people are going to say about us in 50 years time,” she says.

If we stay rooted in our heritage, but continually look to the future and how we can be relevant, that’s the unlock for Stanley.

Kate Ridley, Stanley 1913

Expansion into EMEA – where Stanley 1913 is a “relatively nascent brand” but has “taken off like a rocket ship” – is firmly on Ridley’s agenda. So far, the brand has seen 110% year-on-year category growth every year since 2021 in the region, which she puts down to product innovation and making sure products serve consumers’ needs.

“One of our most amazing qualities is the incredible product quality that we bring to consumers. So once people touch and feel, and use our product, they’re absolutely converted because there’s nothing like it on the market,” says Ridley.

She believes connecting to “community and culture” in new markets is key to bringing product innovation to life.

As Stanley 1913 looks to expand further into EMEA, the brand is leveraging its partnerships, notably in sport with the announcement today (29 July) of a tie-up with Arsenal.

The multi-year partnership will see the brand run campaigns with the women’s and men’s teams, as well as engaging the club’s 14 million active fans across the world and releasing four new products in the team colours. The tie-up also mark Stanley 1913’s first step into stadium retail.

“It not only allows us to showcase our superior product innovation for their players, but most importantly with the fans and the community that surrounds football,” says Ridley.

“It’s very centred on telling the story of the authentic fan in London.”

Campaign imagery will show how Stanley 1913 products can “extend across the whole spectrum of your day”. The Arsenal partnership follows previous collaborations in the football space with the likes of Inter Miami player and former Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, who Ridley explains became a partner organically as his whole family have been Stanley 1913 customers since he was a child.

“The partnerships that we’ve embarked on today usually come about through organic connection and it’s usually because an athlete, a celebrity, an artist, a conversation comes about that they love a Stanley product,” she explains.

We have an approach with social where we want to co-create our brand story with our community.

Kate Ridley, Stanley 1913

Elsewhere, the brand has music, culture and film driven partnerships with the likes of Barbie and singer Post Malone. Stanley 1913 has received feedback, particularly in North America, from customers who own 10, 11 or 12 Stanley cups each. Ridley believes the brand’s “targeted” approach to areas of sport, fitness, music, fashion and beauty has driven this demand.

Partnerships are also part of what has allowed the brand to maintain a premium price point in the crowded market, alongside investing in product innovation. Ridley claims there’s “nothing like” the Quencher, while the Midnight Glitz version recently sold out globally in a matter of minutes.

Having premium wholesalers such as Harrods and Selfridges is also key to the brand’s success, says Ridley, who explains working with such retailers delivers “great brand presentation”.

“We’ve seen great success in people being able to touch and feel our products, and really understand the quality, but also just see what the Stanley brand looks like across different products and use occasions,” she adds.

Social as ‘number one’

Stanley 1913definitely has social media in part to thank for its popularity; a fact Ridley is aware of. For its consumers, social media is “number one” and where they are “living”. Reflective of this, the Stanley Cup hashtag has over 1 billion mentions on TikTok, according to Ridley.

The brand invests in data and insights to inform its approach to social and see what consumers are following. This has informed a “lighthearted” approach to social media, designed to be “colourful and fun”.

“We have an approach with social where we want to co-create our brand story with our community,” says Ridley, who claims the level of engagement from the community is “pretty unique”.

Feedback from consumers, whether that be through social or other means, informs product innovation, with Ridley often “going down a rabbit hole on Reddit”. The brand also keeps track of what consumers think about its sustainability efforts.

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Stanley 1913 has seen success from virality, but doesn’t try to chase this, she claims, acknowledging it can’t be forced. Marketing success isn’t measured solely by virality, with the brand measuring a range of short and long-term metrics. Marketing channels are also determined through a “test and learn” approach, as Stanley 1913 diversifies its marketing mix.

Alongside this, understanding if the team itself is “proud” of the work and products is key.

When it comes to the Arsenal partnership, Stanley 1913 will measure engagement from fans across six consumer segments, specifically connecting products and messaging to each of those segments.

The partnerships that we’ve embarked on today usually come about through organic connection.

Kate Ridley, Stanley 1913

As the company expands into EMEA, Ridley is also betting on influencers to connect to communities. The brand has a “selective approach” to influencers, avoiding working with creators where it “comes across too much as pay to play”. She explains her team takes the time to develop relationships with influencers.

“We’ve really tapped into a wonderful community of creators and influencers in EMEA, and being part of their events and allowing them to create and help us connect with communities has been a wonderful way to continue building that relevance,” she adds.

Going forward, the brand is looking to expand its café and bar product collections, in a bid to show fans the offering is “so much more than the hydration category”.

Part of this push involves the team looking at how to “continually” understand and connect with consumers to “build the Stanley of the future”, says Ridley. She sums up the next era of the brand as being “Stanley forever”, defined by how the firm is seeking to connect with people’s lives in a deeper way.

“If we stay rooted in our heritage, but continually look to the future and how we can be relevant, that’s the unlock for Stanley,” Ridley concludes.