When Terence Reilly takes the reins of a brand, consumers take notice.
From turning rubber clogs into runway darlings at Crocs, to more recently making stainless steel drinking vessels the item of year, Reilly has pulled off marketing magic time and again.
Yet even for a man with his Midas track record, rebooting the heritage hardware name Stanley seemed an impossible task.
After all, who would ascribe “cool” to a company selling tin cans for over a century? But doubters hadn’t counted on Reilly’s knack for seeing what others missed.
It was only a matter of time before he made the unthinkable actually thinkable – that Stanley could satiate thirsts far beyond the camping crowd.
Reilly’s daughters, who were initially skeptical of the Crocs brand, became fervent fans and started pleading for free samples.
When their father left his position at Crocs in 2020, they were dumbfounded. Why would anyone ever leave a company that had become the pinnacle of coolness?
Fast forward three years, and Reilly now serves as the Global President of Stanley, a 110-year-old brand known for its thermoses, coolers, and camping cookware. Shortly after taking on his new role, Reilly received a message from one of his daughters, who had become a sixth-grade teacher.
She discovered that nearly every teacher and scores of students were proudly displaying the same present: a Stanley Quencher.
This 40-ounce colored stainless steel tumbler, complete with a straw and side handle, had become the Birkin bag of water bottles – a $50 status symbol seen on desks, in the background of Zoom calls, and all over social media.
Under Reilly’s guidance, Stanley’s revenue has doubled annually for the past two years, largely fueled by the viral demand for the Quencher, which has seen a staggering 300 percent increase in sales year-over-year and amassed 2.3 billion views on Instagram and TikTok.
At 55 years old, Reilly may seem like an unlikely translator for the young and online generation. However, he has fully embraced social media and spends most of his television time watching TikToks.
With his track record of driving viral consumer demand, Reilly has become adept at reinvigorating brands and turning products into must-have items.
One of Reilly’s key strategies is expanding the target market.
When he joined Stanley, the brand was primarily known for its classic green thermos, which had been around since 1913 and had historical significance.
“There was no effort being put into sending the quencher into the stratosphere. There were no new colors which were exciting audiences everywhere” He told CNBC.
Reilly recognized the need to diversify the customer base and set out to develop products aimed at a demographic that Stanley had long overlooked: women.
To appeal to this market, Reilly and his team incorporated brighter color palettes and added features like straws for cold drinks, reimagining the brand as more of an accessory than camping gear.
Although it took time to get everyone on board with this vision, Reilly understood that capturing a wider audience was crucial for the brand’s growth.
Finding brand advocates and fans is another strategy Reilly excels at. Just as Crocs collaborated with celebrities like Post Malone, Luke Combs, Bad Bunny, and Justin Bieber, Stanley found its magic with the Buy Guide, a blog run by three moms who started posting about the brand’s tumblers.
Their enthusiasm spread to celebrities like Carrie Underwood, who featured the Quencher on her Instagram without any paid partnership.
Reilly emphasizes the importance of authenticity and organic promotion, highlighting the power of genuine product enjoyment in driving consumer demand.
Reilly also embraces a scarcity model, inspired by his experience in the sneaker industry. Limited-edition releases and collaborations create hype and prevent excess inventory.
By employing this strategy at Crocs and Stanley, Reilly made the Quencher even more desirable, with waiting lists reaching up to 150,000 people at its peak.
The scarcity model not only fuels demand but also serves as a hedge against excess inventory, a common problem in the retail industry.
Furthermore, Reilly understands the power of direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels in bolstering a brand’s position in retail stores.
By leveraging the data and insights gained from strong online sales, Reilly and his team were able to negotiate better shelf space and visibility in major retail chains like Target, Scheels, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
This approach provides valuable information and strengthens the brand’s positioning both online and offline.
For Reilly, success is measured not by financial metrics but by a tangible marker: seeing people wearing the brand’s products in public spaces like airports.
At the start of his journey with Crocs, the shoes were not considered fashionable or aspirational. However, through strategic marketing efforts, Reilly transformed the brand’s image, and by the time he left, it was common to see entire groups, such as the girls’ volleyball team, wearing Crocs at the airport.
The same phenomenon is now happening with Stanley, a testament to Reilly’s ability to turn a brand into a cultural phenomenon.
Sources: CNBC and Inc Africa
