Pittsburgh marketing expert explains hype around Stanley cups
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- At a Target in Goodyear, Arizona, dozens of shoppers raced into the store to get a limited edition Valentine's Day 40-ounce Stanley cup, known as the "Quencher."
Stanley is a company that is 111 years old and is very popular because of their mugs' ability to keep beverages both hot and cold depending on the drink it's holding.
People seem to love these cups, but how much of this is people wanting this product and how much of this is just marketing drumming up interest and demand for something limited?
KDKA-TV posed that question to John Sammon, the CEO of Sixth City Marketing. He says sometimes this type of marketing is planned and sometimes with social media, the message spreads organically in a big way.
"Sometimes things just randomly happen," said Sammon. "People find a product, they create a video about it and then, just out of nowhere, things just blow up. And that's really what's happening right now. Whether it is the actual love of the product or the hype around going to buy the product that's driving the interest, it's tough to say whether they intended to do it, but it is working out really nice for them."
KDKA-TV reached out to Target for a comment but did not hear back by airtime.
At the online Stanley store, however, the non-limited edition small cups start at only a few dollars, but some of their larger containers can go for over $100.
But if you are still looking for a limited edition mug, you can attempt to find them at a store like Target, but more than likely you will have to hunt for them online with a third-party buyer. Just beware of online scams and folks marking up their prices by a lot.
