Drinkware is more than an everyday essential; it’s a testament to one’s lifestyle. Consumers have found an identity in the types of beverages they drink and drinkware they use. The Atlantic says coffee lovers have created a prospering coffeeconnoisseur culture. According to a survey of 2,000 coffee drinkers by OnePoll, almost half (49 percent) of respondents say they have become at-home baristas during quarantine, developing their coffee-making skills during their time inside. Since the pandemic began, more Americans (42 percent) now consider themselves coffee connoisseurs. Today, drinkware can even be a defining characteristic of a subgroup. For example, the “VSCO girl” or “VSCO kids” are always sipping from and carrying around a Hydro Flask water bottle. In 2019, the VSCO girl, named after the photo-editing app VSCO, became popular on social media and has since emerged into a youth subculture of people who post trendy photos of a similar aesthetic. This cool, carefree VSCO girl lives (and posts) a surfer-like lifestyle, wearing puka shell necklaces and hair scrunchies. While the beach aesthetic is fundamental to the VSCO girl, consistently using products, like the Hydro Flask, is also vital to her identity. Today, drinkware is a part of self-expression. The Atlantic says that fancy water bottles have become a status symbol. Carrying a water bottle not only implies that you make hydration a priority, but also that you care about the environment. Essential to a well-functioning body, drinking water is obviously not new, but the trend of constant consumption has continued to rise in popularity over the past decade. Like other uber-popular consumer goods, major celebrity endorsements have helped to fuel this hydration fixation. The 2000s led to a rise of water brands like Évian and FIJI. In a 2005 Washington Post report, publicist Jonathan Cheban describes how he made Évian into a luxury water brand, which he achieved by strategically placing Évian onto tables at an Oscars after-party, resulting in a myriad of photographs being taken of celebrities sipping their Évian water bottles. In 2007, Glaceau’s Smartwater joined the high-end water wars with actress Jennifer Aniston as its new spokesperson. While Aniston showcased the brand in ads, she also spoke Styrofoam is one of the most environmentally unfriendly types of waste that exists today. According to the Green Dining Alliance, it takes over 500 years for Styrofoam to break down. Around the world, 25 to 30 percent of landfill space is filled with Styrofoam. While many types of packaging can be recycled, Styrofoam containers that held food or beverages are not recyclable due to contamination, even at recycling centers where Styrofoam is accepted. One distributor saw not just a problem, but an opportunity waiting for a solution. Chris Stumpf, MAS, CEO of Stumpies Marketing Group, also saw a marketing opportunity for one of his clients, a scout camp for kids, and stepped in with promotional drinkware to replace the Stryofoam cups being used. Stumpf explains, “Gulf Stream Council operates a scout camp called Tanah Keeta Scout Reservation in Florida. During their weeklong summer camp, they serve 17 meals to scouts. They also feed the scouts involved in day activities. There are water coolers spread around the camp for people to get water. On average, a scout might get water three times a day from the coolers and eat three meals meaning a scout would use a minimum of six Styrofoam cups per day. Just for the weeklong scout camp program, the camp would use around 26,000 Styrofoam cups.” To save money and the environment, Stumpies Marketing Group imprinted the camp logo on a plastic stein mug from supplier CPS Keystone along with the camp’s name on the carabiner. Stumpf says, “When the scouts check in, they are given a mug with the carabiner clipped to the handle so they can clip the mug to their belt loop or backpack. When they go to meals, the only way to get a drink is to use their mug. When they are around camp and want water out of the coolers, they have to use their mug.” Not only did the mug solve a significant problem, but it also highlighted the camp’s values. “This saves about 26,000 to 30,000 Styrofoam cups from being put into the landfill. It teaches responsibility, sustainability and is environmentally friendly. It saves the camp money because they spend less on the mugs and carabiners than the cost of the Styrofoam cups. This also supports one of the 12 scout laws which is ‘A Scout is Thrifty.’ The scouts can continue to use the mug after camp is over. They can take it on other camping trips, so they don’t have to buy a cup in the future. The carabiner can also be used in other ways as well.” Case Study: ProblemSolver | DECEMBER 2021 | 35 GROW
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