How one of China’s most unexpected must-have fashion accessories spread from the U.S.
Stanley cups have become a hit
If we're talking about the trendiest item of 2024, the Stanley Cup is definitely in the running. The Stanley thermal cup has become a social media favourite. They are eye-catching for its wide top, narrow bottom, straw, and large size, along with a variety of bright colours. It has quickly gained immense popularity among women of all ages in USA, becoming a hit among TikTokers, Instagram bloggers, and everyday urban women.
Stanley Cups with virbant colours. Image: Stanley website
In early 2024 in the US, there was chaos in hypermarket giant, Target. People queued overnight, rushed in, and feuded over pink water bottles. This bottle was a collaboration between the thermal cup brand Stanley and Starbucks, priced at $49.95.
Starbucks x Stanley Quencher Collab from Variety
Americans are rushing to buy Stanley's pink cups
… and soon sold out at Target
The Stanley brand's popularity quickly spread from North America to the Chinese market. Celebrities like Ouyang Nana, Ma Sichun and Wan Qian, many middle-class mums and fashionable women own one. As of May 6, 2024, there are over 60,000 posts about the Stanley brand with over 80.7 million views on Xiaohongshu/RED, while on Douyin, the hashtag #stanley has been viewed over 53 million times.
Chinese celebrities posted photos with Stanley cups. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
Stanley cups are also trending in China, especially with middle-class women who are affluent, vibrant, and positive in both work and life. They pursue a natural fashion style without being overly trendy. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
How have Stanley Cups become a lifestyle staple for American girls and the 'social currency' of Chinese urban women?
Founded in 1913, Stanley originally focused on outdoor adventures, targeting rugged male who loved exploring mountains and forests. Their products were positioned as outdoor gear, including the invention of the all-steel vacuum-insulated bottle. The brand became associated with WWII military supplies and was exclusively used by the U.S. Air Force, embodying a spirit of hardcore durability, technology, passion, and adventure. Some promotional activities even integrated science fiction and adventure-themed movies. However, this market was always destined to be niche.
Stanley, the outdoor drink bottle for rugged male adventurers
In May 2020, Terence Reilly joined Stanley as the new president. Previously the CEO of Crocs from 2015 to 2020, he transformed the unattractive clogs shoes into a trendy hit. Following his arrival at Stanley, he began to overhaul the brand strategy according to his own vision.
Under his leadership, Stanley shifted its focus to everyday use, including activities like sports and fitness, studying, office work, elegant camping, morning routines (washing/skincare/breakfast), coffee and wine times, and professional outdoor activities. In these settings, the target audience shifted to sophisticated women, described by Jenn Reeves, the Vice President of Marketing at Stanley, as 'ladies on the go.' They pursued health and beauty, regularly wearing brands like Lululemon, exercising often, maintaining a balanced diet, and always carrying a water bottle for hydration.
The Stanley water bottle became positioned as an outdoor accessory. Its designs bright and colourful, especially highlighting the Morandi colour tone. The cup is designed to fit easily in dishwashers and Tesla cup holders, catering to middle-class families.
Image from the Stanley website depicting their revised target audience
Stanley has successfully collaborated with several brands and celebrities, including Starbucks and American country music singer Lainey Wilson. These partnerships have led to the launch of over a hundred colour and pattern designs for the Stanley Quencher, which have been well-received. This success has helped Stanley break into the market as a fashion accessory, catching the eye of more young consumers.
Stanley x Lainey Wilson Collab. Images: Instagram@stanley_brand
In November 2023, a TikTok video by user Danielle Lettering showed their car after an explosion, with extensive fire damage inside. Surprisingly, the Stanley thermal cup on the cup holder remained intact, with the ice inside still frozen. This video amazed viewers, highlighting the quality of Stanley cups. It went viral, garnering over 100 million views. Stanley took advantage of this social media attention, with President Terence Reilly posting a video promising to compensate the user with a new car and cup. This gesture resonated with people, reaffirming Stanley's reputation.
The unblemished Stanley cup after fire destroyed the car
The Stanley thermal cup, popular with North Americans, has started to gain traction in China, thanks to social media and discussions among North American students. Celebrity Ouyang Nana, who studied in North America, has played a significant role in this trend. The topic 'Ouyang Nana's Big Head Ice Cup' on Xiaohongshu has been viewed over 2.5 million times.
'Ouyang Nana's Big Head Ice Cup'. Image: Xiaohongshu/RED
In recent years, Stanley has been focusing more on localizing its brand in China. They've partnered with top live streamers like Austin Li (李佳琦) and actively promoted in popular Chinese online shopping festivals like 618 and Double 11, increasing their popularity among the public. This year, they also launched the 'Year of the Dragon Limited Edition Super Cup,' for Chinese New Year marketing period.
'Year of the Dragon Limited Edition Super Cup‘. Image: Stanley Website
The brand continues its strategy of gaining popularity from North America, actively collaborating with local celebrities and KOLs to promote products on social media. It has also partnered with Chinese local brands like HEYTEA and Radomevent (a Chinese apparel brand). Last October, Stanley debuted at Shanghai Fashion Week, introducing collaborative products.
Stanley's posters featuring cheerful 'dopamine' style. Images: Stanley's official post on Xiaohongshu/RED
Stanley x HEYTEA Collab, Stanley x Radomevent Collab
Stanley x Shanghai Fashion Week Collab. Images: Stanley's official post on Xiaohongshu/RED
Wrapping up
Stanley cups have become a staple in the lifestyle of American girls and a fashionable item for urban women in China. In the post-pandemic era, the eye-catching design of Stanley cups, coupled with their celebrity endorsements, attracts a large number of wealthy middle-class women who seek a sense of social belonging through healthy-focused activities.
It's a lot cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one, so the old adage says. Many marketers in China don't seem to have got that memo, with marketing plans based around increasingly expensive livestreams and KOLs for sales, with limited initiatives to retain those customers once they've transacted.We track many loyalty initiatives at China Skinny, but one of the most exciting we've seen lately is from Chinese EV brand, Nio. Car sales have been one of the brightest categories in China's retail sphere, last month growing 17% year-on-year. As we noted in July, Beijing has been strategic in putting its weight behind car sales - it takes a lot of packaged goods or shoe sales to match that of a single car in making retail sales look rosy.