How the Stanley Cup Became a TikTok Sensation

By  Matt Cox 

When talking about viral TikTok trends, it would be nearly impossible to forget the popularity of posting the Stanley Cup, which at one point was arguably the “coolest” water bottle to own, and anybody who was anybody had one. This item became popular among mostly Gen Z but also people of different generations for a number of different factors, but primarily in 2019 “Buy Guide” an Instagram account and website used to assist with purchasing “in” merchandise helped its beginning. (Knutson) The founders fell in love with the forty-ounce Quencher and bought five thousand of them, marketing them and making them well-known on Instagram. However, the product gained more fame on TikTok once Terence Reilly became Stanley’s President, choosing to make the thermoses a variety of different colors, including hot pink, bright red, periwinkle, and light green. (Chayka) This was in 2020, but since then Buy Guide and social media have both contributed to boosting the sales of the Stanley Cup hugely, marking 2024 as having twenty-three billion dollars as a revenue, thirty-six percent more than 2023’s amount gained from Stanley. Furthermore, as of 2024 seventy-seven percent of the wealth made off of the Stanley brand came from advertising, but the rest (the remaining twenty-three percent) was made from purchases made directly from TikTok or commerce. This shows that not only does advertising play a key role in marketing popular products, but that almost half of the sales were generated by TikTok alone. Contributors as to how the Stanley Cup erupted all over TikTok in fame is partly due to WaterTok, a coined term for influencers (and regular users) who started the trend of concocting “flavored water,” which was mainly for bariatric patients and could be mixed with sugar or syrup to make orange, cotton candy, lemon, or other flavors. The trend became popular in 2022 when a woman named Tonya Spanglo first started making videos featuring this flavored water, and the coined term “WaterTok” spread like wildfire, with multiple other users wanting to hop on the trend. So how does this all go back to the Stanley Cup? Basically, these thermoses became the stars of these videos due to the handy reusable straw attachment, not to mention the durability and ability to keep liquids ice-cold. Additionally, the different colors make these cups more appealing. Within a very short time, different influencers and celebrities started to post advertisements or do paid partnerships with the Stanley Cups, including Olivia Rodrigo and Laura Prepon. This factor coupled with WaterTok made Stanley Cups the must-have beverage holder, leaving the previous popular water bottle, the Hydro Flask, in the dust. In November of 2023, a woman named Danielle posted a video that went viral: her car after being in a terrible fire, the only item that remained intact was a Stanley Cup, with the ice even still there keeping it chilled. (Chayka) After posting this video viewers marvelled at the item’s durability through such an event and the fame for the thermos grew even more. Apart from all these contributors, the design of Stanley Cups also plays a part with the way it perfectly fits in a cup holder, to the reusable straw, to the ability to hold up to sixty-four ounces, to the way the material is eco-friendly. It speaks to millennials and busy mothers who need a dependable thermos. Mostly, however, it speaks to Gen Z. The fame and popularity behind this product, plus the environmentally friendly factor overall make this product a must-have among this generation of late teens to young adults, and the popularity continues to grow.  

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