🧠 How Stanley 10x’d Revenue with a Discontinued Product

Today’s Edition of Captivated: How Stanley 10x’d Revenue with a Discontinued Product, in Just 4 Years: The story, strategy & psychology behind how the Stanley Quencher went from forgotten to America's Most Wanted cup

[Captivated Mini Masterclass & Case Study]

It feels like everyone has one.

At the grocery store, at the gym, in the car cupholder next to you, the colorful tumbler is everywhere.

It seems to have just … exploded into popularity.

But Stanley wasn’t a new brand.

And the Quencher wasn’t even a new, or popular, product.

But the way they reintroduced it - and redefined who it was for - turned an regular utility into something people genuinely loved to carry ... aaand helped 10x their revenue in just 4 short years. Here's how...

(continues below).

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🧭 INSIDE THIS EDITION

• Thirst Quencher

• Smart Tool You Can Use #1

• Did You Know?

• What Happened?

• What's the Big Deal?

• The Psychology Behind It

• Steal this Strategy for Yourself

• tl;dr

• Smart Tool You Can Use #2

📈 DID YOU KNOW?

Stanley’s revenue exploded from $73M to over $750M in just 4 years, fueled almost entirely by one product they already sold: the Quencher.

🤔

 .. What Happened? ..

Stanley wasn’t new. The Quencher product wasn’t even new. It had actually been discontinued in 2019 due to poor sales.

But the way it caught fire (literally and figuratively) was smart, brain smart, and maybe a little lucky.

In 2020, The Buy Guide, a small Utah influencer group, kept recommending it, and their audience kept selling it out. Stanley started to take notice. With new leadership in place at the time, they partnered with The Buy Guide to bring the Quencher back, this time in softer colors and with a fresh lens on who it was for: women, moms, and everyday lifestyle users.

The new colors made it feel less like camping gear, and more like a personal style statement, tapping into our brain’s craving for products that reflect who we are.

As the craze grew, people started buying straw toppers, boot covers, and custom tags, turning a simple cup into something super personal.

TikToks started rolling. The cup started showing up at school pickups, Target runs, and workout selfies.

It built slowly... and then: boom.

In late 2023, a woman’s TikTok went viral showing her car completely burned out after a fire. But that Stanley cup was still perfectly intact. And still had ice inside.

The video racked up over 90 million views.

Stanley’s CEO jumped on it, posting a video thanking her and offering to buy her more Stanleys and a brand new car. It made Stanley look generous, human, and badass, all at once.

After all of this, Stanley became THAT girl. The cup to have.

And they leaned into the moment:

• More limited-edition color drops

• Target, Starbucks and influencer collabs that sold out instantly

• Strategic scarcity to keep the hype alive

🤔

 .. What’s the Big Deal? ..

Stanley’s Quencher success is a textbook case of smart product marketing.

They didn’t reinvent the function, the cup still kept drinks cold and fit in a car cupholder.

But they reinvented the form and the feeling around it, unlocking a new audience and massive growth.

They shifted the audience from rugged outdoor users to everyday lifestyle customers - women, Gen Z, and moms.

They also reshaped how the product was seen, and which features to highlight: it went from being durable, to also being stylish, personal, and a tiny daily luxury.

By 2023, Stanley’s revenue had exploded from $70M to over $750M, with this 1 product, the Quencher, leading the charge.

And that’s why it matters:

• They didn’t invent a new product.

• They reinvented how people felt about an old one, introducing new styles, spotlighting different features and repositioning the messaging to unlock a new audience

• They went from an occasional use product to an everyday product; then expanded the line with new colors and sizes, limited editions, and retail exclusives that gave customers clear reasons to buy multiple.

• And they did it using psychology, emotional relevance, and the small details that make a product feel personal, attainable, and an absolute must have.

🧠

 .. Brain Science-Backed: The Psychology Behind It ..

1. 🧠  STATUS SIGNALING:

Humans are wired to show belonging through what we wear, carry, and use, often without even realizing it. Carrying a Stanley cup became an affordable social signal: I’m trendy, practical, and in the know.

2. 🧠 SOCIAL PROOF CASCADE: 

When everyone from soccer moms to TikTok stars to baristas were carrying the same cup, it hits our brain’s herd instinct. Our brains shortcut complex decisions by copying what seems popular. If everyone else has it, it must be good... better yet, it must be necessary.

3. 🧠 SCARCITY BIAS IN ACTION:

Limited drops & fast sellouts trigger our brain’s fear of missing out. Scarcity makes us value things more: not because they’re objectively better, but because they might disappear. (And our brains hates losing a chance.)

4. 🧠 IDENTITY ATTACHMENT:

Products that mirror how we see ourselves, or how we want to be seen, become sticky. The pastel color drops, influencer lifestyle posts, and Target collabs made the Stanley feel like a badge: Stylish, functional, relatable, a little bit indulgent.

5. 🧠 SELF-REWARD PSYCHOLOGY:

Buying something small but meaningful lights up our brain’s reward system. It was hydration, health, self-care, and style... all for $45. Tiny luxuries feel justifiable and addictive.

🥷

 .. Steal this Strategy for Yourself ..

1 - Create a Visual Signature:

Make your product instantly recognizable, something people naturally notice and feel drawn to:

• Introduce a distinct color line, finish, or signature design element customers can spot at a glance.

• Release seasonal editions tied to moods or events ("Spring Edit," "Summer Brights").

2 - Make Scarcity Feel Special:

Use limited-time availability to create excitement and exclusivity around your product:

• Create a “vault” model: Offer time-bound collections with clear open and close dates ("Only available for 7 days").

• Retire certain styles and editions after each season to build anticipation for what's next.

• Drop products in small, scheduled batches ("Next Drop: Friday at Noon"), even if you have plenty of inventory.

3 - Highlight Momentum the Smart Way:

Showcase how many people are joining in:

• Share real milestones ("Spotted in 25 states this week," "10,000 orders placed this month").

• Let organic sellouts tell the story ("Color X sold out in 3 hours").

4 - Make Your Product Part of Everyday Life:

Frame your product as something that naturally fits into your customers’ daily routines:

• Show it in relatable moment: morning commutes, gym bags, office desks, weekend adventures.

• Partner with experiences customers already love (like cafés, fitness studios, or travel brands).

5 - Frame It as a Personal Upgrade or Tiny Luxury:

Position your product as a small, meaningful boost to how people feel day-to-day:

• Messaging like "Your new favorite part of your morning" or "Small luxury. Big difference."

• Encourage the idea that it’s practical and part of feeling energized, stylish, and ready for the day.

✌️ 

 .. tl;dr & captivated wrap-up ..

Stanley scaled by evolving a forgotten cup into America’s most wanted, and a powerful symbol of personal style, belonging, and self-reward.

They turned a $45 tumbler into:

• A recognizable part of daily life

• A personal upgrade people were proud to carry

• A small, justifiable luxury that feels good to own

And they did it by tapping into the brain’s natural shortcuts: status signaling, herd instinct, scarcity urgency, and the feel-good rush of self-reward.

It’s a masterclass in product marketing, refreshing an existing product with new detail, smart positioning, emotional resonance, and unlocking a new audience and use.

When a product feels personal, it becomes part of how people live, connect, and express themselves. In other words, it 'quenches' an innate psychological need that captivates us.

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