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More than 100 years after its founding, drinkware maker Stanley 1913 faced a challenge: transforming its heritage brand into a modern cultural phenomenon.
In this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Matt Navarro, president of Stanley, to explore the company’s remarkable evolution from worksite essential to viral sensation.
Learn how Stanley maintains its cultural relevance through strategic partnerships, sustainability initiatives, and lifestyle brand positioning.
Whether you’re a marketing leader looking to revitalize a legacy brand or seeking insights on connecting with Gen Z consumers, this conversation reveals the delicate balance between honoring heritage and driving innovation.
“Some would say we had a viral moment. I would say we’ve been building momentum for the last four years,” he says on the podcast.
Tune in to discover how authenticity, sustainability, and cultural connectivity can transform a traditional brand into a modern lifestyle icon.
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Key takeaways:
[01:36] Stanley’s Successful Brand Transformation — Matt outlines Stanley’s 100-year evolution through distinct eras: from the 1913 to the 1960s helping people take food and beverages to work, then pivoting to outdoor recreation from the 1960s through 2020, and now emerging as a lifestyle hydration brand. He emphasizes: “2020 was a really big inflection point where we thought there was even more potential for the brand. And we had this opportunity to introduce through color, through material, through finish, through innovation, to a whole new audience.”
[05:24] The Strategy Behind Building Sustained Momentum — Matt challenges the notion that Stanley’s success was just a viral moment: “Some would say we had a viral moment. We’ve been building momentum for the last four years. And as we look to what’s next, it really is about showing Stanley off as a lifestyle brand, most importantly by staying connected to culture.” He highlights their partnerships with world-class athletes and entertainers as a key strategy.
[07:30] The Importance of Emotion — Matt explains how Stanley connects emotionally with consumers: “From day one, what I found is everyone has an emotional connection to our brand.” He outlines Stanley’s strategy to move into adjacent categories while maintaining brand integrity: “We were a disruptor in hydration in 2020, and we think there’s places like mobility and storage, wearable water, that you’re seeing real innovation from us where we think there’s white space for our brand.”
[08:56] Why Authenticity in Partnerships is Crucial — Matt reveals the criteria for Stanley’s collaborations, emphasizing the importance of authenticity: “Lionel Messi is maybe the greatest example of that. Yes, he’s the greatest soccer player of all time, but he also has used Stanley since he was 8 years old. Last is making sure that it’s really connected to fashion, style, and trend—again, driving that relevance.”
[10:56] Sustainability as a Foundational Business Principle — Matt discusses Stanley’s foundation in sustainability: “We’ve spent a lot of time recently working on vision, mission, values. It wasn’t new, but it was a refresh, and what sits at the foundation of that is our Built for Life promise. We were rooted in sustainability before sustainability was cool. It’ll always be the foundation of the brand.”
