4. How a customer insight led to 10X growth for Stanley
An affiliate gave Stanley a million-dollar customer insight. The rest is history.
Brands often think no one knows their customers better than they do. Especially if you have been around for over 100 years, you probably believe you know everything about your market and customers.
This is a story of how a single powerful customer insight can transform a brand. And how sometimes it can come from surprising sources.
Stanley was a robust 100-year-old brand focused on men, with a value proposition for durability in occasions such as camping, hiking, and fishing.
However, there was another unique value proposition of its products in a segment outside this core target market that was not on its radar.
‘The Buy Guide’ was a product recommendation website founded by Ashlee LeSueur. She loved a particular model of Stanley’s - the Quencher and often recommended and gifted it to her friends and followers.
But why did she love that particular model of Stanley?
Because it had a straw for easy drinking while driving. It fit into her car cup holder. It was dishwasher safe. Most importantly, it had a handle, and for many women, while we are getting into cars, our hands are usually full of bags, laptops, and kids. A handle makes it easier for us to juggle more things at once.
Hence, Ashlee told executives at Stanley to change their marketing strategy to focus on women and to make the cup more colorful. It was a bold suggestion, as Stanley's brand image was so centered around men. The #StanleyStrong was important for them.
Ashlee believed in this idea so much that she purchased 5,000 Quenchers wholesale, and it soon sold out on the ‘The Buy Guide’ website. Her hypothesis was validated!
Stanley was convinced and launched the Quencher in more than 100 colors and designs, positioning it as a fashion accessory. To attract the female demographic, Stanley played up the benefits for women on the go who need their cold drinks to stay cold throughout the day.
Focussing on the right target market with the correct positioning showed results, and Stanley's revenue exploded. Before the Quencher craze, the company's annual revenue was around $70 million. In 2023, it was projected to hit $750 million.
For me, two lessons from this story stand out -
For a brand, it’s important to be perfect for a certain market segment and understand why. Focus on identifying this segment that would really love your product and would be willing to tell the rest of the world about it.
Customer insight can come from anywhere. When a partner has a strong connection with a segment, you should listen to them as a brand.