As Stanley bottles have emerged as favorites among customers as gifts, stores have quickly capitalized on this widespread publicity by filling their shelves with these water bottles.

The presence of these water bottles has become ubiquitous in many stores, with Stanley’s annual sales jumping from $75 million to $750 million in 2023 alone.

So, how did Stanley Bottles, founded a century ago in 1913, suddenly rise to fame?

On November 15th, 2023, TikTok user @danimarielettering posted a video showcasing her Stanley water bottle surviving a car fire; not only was it the only item in the car to survive, but the tumbler still had ice inside.

This video quickly caught the attention of millions of people, garnering over 95 million views on TikTok and igniting the resurgence of these tumblers.

To thank this Tiktoker and her influence on the company’s sales, Stanley’s president, Terence Reilly, gifted her more Stanley merchandise and even a new car, with a license plate reading STANLEY1913, to replace the previous one that had burned down.

Considering the rise in profit that Stanley had made from this unintentional sponsorship, the gift was well worth it and benefited both the TikTok user and the company.

From this instance onward, more TikToks of this bottle have gone viral, including a girl who screamed and another who cried, a Stanley fanatic who showed off her impressive collection that “matches every outfit,” and more users who decorated their Stanley Cups.

Before these videos gained traction, Stanley was founded with a vision: to “change the way hot drinks [are] consumed … with bottles built on invention, innovation, and inspiration with a timeless spirit that complements your wild imagination.”

They have accomplished this vision, as they can maintain the temperature of hot drinks for seven hours and iced drinks for up to 48 hours.

However, what sets these bottles apart from the rest has been the second part of their vision.

Stanley’s vast array of colors has made each water bottle marketable, prompting many customers to amass their Stanley's collection.

For instance, the new limited-edition Valentine’s Day cups have taken stores by storm, with a video on TikTok depicting Target limiting their sales to two cups per person.

Because of the mania surrounding these Valentine’s Day cups, customers have taken advantage and started selling them for almost 4x the original price.

Some opponents of these Stanley Cups have emerged on social media, with some users expressing their disapproval: “Listen I love my Stanley cup but the collecting of $50 cups that are specifically designed to be reusable is WILD to me,” X user @jblee_13 posted.

This tweet raises questions about the necessity of collecting these $50 reusable water bottles, as they were designed to reduce waste; Stanley promises on their website that their products “are the kind that never need to be thrown away or replaced.”

Overall, Stanley water bottles have demonstrated the effectiveness of utilizing social media for marketing products, and although it has sparked controversy, it is ultimately up to the discernment of the customer whether or not to keep collections of these bottles.

Daniel Nam 

Grade 9

Jones International Christian School