The queue outside the shops in the run-up to February 14th suggests that this year too Valentine’s Day will be about consumption of objects specially painted red, or deformed into a heart or, again, sold as “the best gift to give to your sweetheart!”. Among these objects, one in particular is very popular online and in American shops: the reusable thermal glass from Stanley brand limited edition pink in colour. Obviously an exclusive for Valentine’s Day, the result of the collaboration with the Starbucks coffee chain. Videos that have gone viral immortalize crowds of customers storming a store in the US chain Target after spending the night camped outside waiting for it to open. Others, however, pick up on the fights and discontent that broke out among those who were unable to get hold of one of these 1 liter thermal mugs for the modest sum of 50 dollars.
Fifty dollars for a glass with a lid, a removable straw, a large handle and a tapered base that allows it to fit in car cup holders. In short, a glass like you see many in America. Yet, Stanley’s have become a real trend, a symbol of well-being supported by the motto stay hydratedi.e. “stay hydrated”, and at the same time a symbol of sustainability with over 100 million impressions on the main social media.
The Stanley brand on and off social media
Last November 15th a video on TikTok shows the aftermath of a car fire. Shattered windows, destroyed bodywork and charred seats: only Stanley’s glass remains intact, positioned in the drinks holder near the gearbox. The video quickly goes viral, and two days later, the president Terence Reilly responds to the video offering to send its owner new glasses and replace her car on behalf of the company. A marketing action that hits the mark, fueling previous media virality and gaining visibility for Stanley – a company already involved in consumerist dynamics encouraged through the use of social media.
Foto: Unsplash
In fact, although the brand has been present on the market for more than 110 years, it has only recently exited the niche of camping equipment and outdoor accessories. In 2019, together with the founders of the online shop The Buy Guide, Stanley redirects, through affiliate and influencer marketing, the marketing of its glasses towards women and, in particular, towards mothers. Thus, its best-known glass, the 1-liter Adventure Quencher Travel Tumbler which costs 40 dollars, is made available in 11 new colors and reshared on TikTok and Instagram, where the hashtag #StanleyTumbler receives more than 10 million interactions also thanks to reposts from well-known influencers. From the sold out shows of 2019 to sales record of +275% in 2022 compared to the previous year, the glasses gain fame on all social platforms, becoming status objects to collect in every shape and color.
Over the past month, the New York Times has collected the testimonials of some influencers who base their business on the theme of motherhood: one of these is Krysle Perkinswhich explains how he intends to expand his collection of 8 Stanley cups, while Emma Wertner declares that “owning many means not having to worry if one is dirty, as a mother already has enough to think about”. These testimonies reveal the power of media influence networks and, together, the meaning of “selling to women through women”: “once you involve influencer mothers from Utah – concludes Wertner – fashion spreads like wildfire”. It matters little if the Stanley Cup on Valentine’s Day burns the equivalent of a forest in terms of environmental impact.
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The Stanley cup collection between consumption and sustainability
Along with the camping equipment niche, Stanley has abandoned the buy-one for life concept that had previously characterized its brand. Durability, in fact, is no longer useful for launching or maintaining this type of product on the market, which instead must free itself as much as possible from concepts relating to time. We need to find a way to do it purchase and repurchase the same item multiple timesregardless of the length of its life cycle and even without there being a real need to purchase it.
Thus we arrive at the paradox of passing off these unbridled purchases as collecting, or rather of pushing people to “collect” an object created to be reusable and therefore to be purchased only once and to be used for a very long time. It is certainly not by buying dozens of reusable cups that we will put an end to the very harmful practice of disposable cups. Just as it is not possible to consider purchasing eight glasses virtuous, as the influencer did Krysle Perkins, only because they are reusable. Will the influencer with a wall at home full of Stanley glasses (“one for each outfit”) keep them for the rest of his life? What will happen to this collection once the fashion has passed? Would anyone ever buy used Stanley Cups or will they end up piled up in an open landfill? Before defining our “fashionable” Valentine’s Day gift as sustainable, let’s try to answer these questions.
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