The Stanley cup craze: How a tumbler went viral
1. Warm-up discussion
Discuss these questions:
- Have you heard of Stanley Cup tumblers? What do you know about them?
- Can you think of another product that suddenly became extremely popular, seemingly overnight?
- Why do you think people get so excited about owning a trendy item?
2. The language of marketing
Drag the terms from the word bank to match them with their correct definitions.
3. Video: Understanding the craze
Watch the first minute of the video and fill in the blanks below.
The reusable water bottles are one of the most forms of beverage containment, largely thanks to TikTok. Stanley's revenue jumped from $74 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023. But look behind the massive sales and there's a deeper case study in effective product marketing and leveraging cultural . With the Stanley Cup brand, you're not really buying into Stanley, you're buying into the of all the other girls who have one. It's this sense of community... everybody's staying , it's something that signals only good things.
4. Video comprehension
Based on the video, choose the best answer for each question.
1. Who is the president of the Stanley brand, and what other product did he famously make popular?
2. According to the video, the brand is "stewarded" by the company but "co-created" by whom?
3. What is the main reason mentioned for the cup's transition from a niche product to a mainstream phenomenon?
5. Vocabulary in context
Choose the best word to complete each sentence.
1. The company plans to _____ its social media presence to attract younger customers.
2. By releasing only a few hundred pairs, the brand created a sense of _____ that drove up demand.
3. My old backpack was purely _____, but my new one is a fashion statement.
6. Grammar focus
A. Present perfect vs. past simple
We use the Past Simple for finished actions at a specific time in the past (e.g., in 2019, last month). We use the Present Perfect for actions at an unspecified time in the past that have a result now, or for life experiences.
1. Stanley's revenue _____ from $74 million to $750 million between 2019 and 2023.
2. The company's president _____ the man who also made Crocs cool.
3. The brand's popularity _____ a lot recently because of social media.
4. I _____ an ad for Hydro Flask, but I see Stanley cups everywhere.
B. The passive voice
In business, we often use the passive voice (be + past participle) to sound more formal and to focus on the action, not the person who did it.
5. Brands aren't owned by the company; they _____ by the company.
6. The meanings of the brand _____ by the people who use the product.
7. A new limited-edition color _____ at Target last month.
8. Concerns about lead content _____ by the company in a recent statement.
7. Writing practice
Write a short paragraph (50-70 words) giving your opinion on the Stanley cup trend.
Do you think it's a smart marketing strategy or just a temporary fad? Use at least three words from the vocabulary section (e.g., sought-after, leverage, scarcity, utilitarian).
8. Speaking practice: The marketing pitch
Work in small groups. Imagine you are a marketing team for a company that sells a durable, high-quality, but "boring" product (e.g., a backpack, a pen, a pair of socks).
Your goal is to create a marketing plan to make your product the next "Stanley Cup." Use the concepts from this lesson to develop your strategy. Discuss:
- Community: How can you build a community around your product?
- Influencers: Who would you partner with? How would you leverage their content?
- Scarcity: How could you use limited editions or "drops" to create hype?
- Brand Image: How will you change the product's image from purely utilitarian to a sought-after status symbol?
Prepare to present your ideas to the class.
