The Stanley Cup Survival: The Importance of Strong Consumer Relations
Published on February 20, 2024, 3:23 p.m.
by Anne Smith.
A few years ago, you may have known the Stanley Cup to be the annual award given to the champion of the National Hockey League. Now, the name is more commonly associated with the high-demand, trendy water bottles that customers are obsessing over. However, the love for the Stanley brand is not a one-way street. In a recent viral TikTok, Stanley shows its unwavering gratitude for one of its customers after a traumatic car fire.
Stanley, a brand known for its sturdy, insulated tumbler cups, has
accumulated an enormous fan base in recent years. In fact, according to Today.com, the trending “#Stanley has amassed nearly 3 billion views on TikTok alone,” as of January 2024. Customers are always eager to get their hands on a new color or style of Stanley cups, and its products are frequently sold out on its website. Recently, the company gained even more recognition when repaying one of its customers with the gift of a lifetime.
On Nov. 15, 2023, a woman named Danielle Turner posted a video on TikTok showing viewers the interior of her car after catching on fire. The video showed her car’s shattered windows and burned car seats, yet her Stanley cup remained perfectly intact. Not only was Turner OK, the physical cup itself was unharmed, with the contents in her Stanley cup still freezing cold. Turner’s video proved Stanley’s “Built for Life” motto to be true!
The video immediately went viral and has generated 9.1 million views on TikTok. In response to her video, the president of Stanley, Terence Reilly, posted a TikTok video thanking Turner for her promotion. To show his gratitude, Reilly announced in his video that not only would Stanley send Turner more Stanley tumblers, but the company would also be replacing her car on its behalf. Viewers were touched by Stanley’s gesture, and the company’s TikTok comments were filled with praise for the brand.
Recently, Stanley has found itself back in the spotlight, but not in a good
way. Its customers grew concerned after learning that its products include lead, which can increase the risk of lead poisoning and other health concerns. Stanley addressed these concerns and explained that its Stanley cups do contain small amounts of lead in each cup’s vacuum insulation at the base of the cup. However, the company assured worried customers that it’s not possible for the lead to come into contact with the consumer nor the liquid they drink, “unless the stainless steel barrier comes off — which is possible but ‘rare.’”
Despite these serious allegations, Stanley was still riding on the popularity it gained from its response to Danielle Turner’s viral TikTok video and was able to shut down these negative concerns.
How has Stanley been able to control this crisis? The answer is maintaining strong consumer-based relationships. Cultivating these relationships is important because it ensures loyalty and grows the connection between the brand and consumer. Because Reilly’s personal response to Turner left a lasting impression on viewers and generated enough good PR, the Stanley cup’s lead issue never really affected the business’ success.
