A car fire, it turns out, can be excellent for brand awareness.

In November 2023, a TikTok user named Danielle Lettering posted video of her vehicle's smoldering remains, in which one item had emerged not merely intact but still cold inside: her Stanley Quencher, the 40-ounce tumbler that had already become something of a cultural fixation among a certain demographic of American women. The video performed precisely as such videos do, which is to say it was viewed many millions of times and further cemented the 113-year-old brand's unlikely second act as a maker of covetable drinkware.

Now Stanley 1913, which began life making steel bottles for workmen and has been manufacturing vacuum-insulated vessels since before most advertising agencies existed, is attempting something that brand strategists have been advising clients to do since approximately forever: it wants to become a "lifestyle brand."

"Stanley is a premium lifestyle brand, not a drinkware brand, not a commoditized brand," Kate Ridley, the company's chief brand officer, told The Drum during a recent interview in London. (The heatwave made the setting appropriate, if a bit on the nose.)

The diversification effort has been considerable. In recent months, Stanley has introduced shakers, tote bags, backpacks, coolers and something called the "Clutch" bottle, along with multiple collections tied to the Women's World Cup, including a fourth collaboration with the soccer star Lionel Messi and a "Fútbol Artist Collection" featuring work from artists in seven countries.

Ms. Ridley said the company's product development cycle runs 24 to 36 months, informed by extensive consumer research — research that apparently revealed soccer to be the top sport of interest among Stanley customers, even in the United States.

Ben James, the company's general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, noted that the Quencher accounted for only 28 percent of regional revenues last year. "We don't have a brand awareness challenge," he said. "We've got a brand assumption challenge."

Whether a company known for keeping beverages cold can persuade consumers to carry its backpacks remains to be seen. But Stanley has already survived one unlikely transformation, from jobsite staple to TikTok phenomenon.

A car fire, by comparison, seems manageable.

Original story published in The Drum: "Stanley 1913 wants to turn Quencher fame into a lifestyle brand | The Drum"