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As college students, we are prime victims of reusable water bottle trends. But just when you’ve pulled the plug and bought your Stanley, suddenly everyone has Owalas. The popularity of water bottle brands seems to skyrocket almost instantaneously, while their predecessors disappear from use. Of course, fads are a feature of any market, but the mass popularity and frequency of change in water bottle trends have made them particularly stand out. 

So, what motivates us to all ditch our Nalgenes for a Hydroflask?

Background: Facts and Figures 

Drinkware as a promo category has increased greatly in the last 10 years. In 2011, water bottles made up 5.3% of total promo industry sales. By 2023, that number almost doubled to 10.7%. And this popularity is just the beginning. As a whole, the reusable water bottle industry is expected to grow up to $2700 million by 2032. 

But why water bottles? How did drinkware become the newest trendy accessory and what sparked the industry’s tremendous growth in the past couple decades? 

Why Water Bottles? 

While the water bottle industry grew by increasingly large amounts in the 2010s, the industry first began to gain traction in the early 2000s. There are many factors that play into demand for a certain product, but there are two major themes of this era that have been attributed to the success and fads of water bottle companies. The first, which might seem obvious, is the rise of social media. However, what I found particularly interesting was the intersection of social media and growing health and eco-conscious sentiments. 

During the reusable water bottle’s rise to stardom in the early 2000s, consumers were thinking increasingly about decreasing their use of single-use plastic. Thus, the demand for reusable water bottles was high. 

Which Brands? 

The American consumer’s growing interest in wellbeing and environmental protection helps explain the explosion of the water bottle, but why do certain brands become so popular over others? 

Around 2015, Yeti water bottles took over the market. Yeti brought their cooler insulation technology to the water bottle industry. New developments and unique technological advancements are a way to get an edge on competitors in any industry, but Yeti’s developments were not just new, they also played into the environmental interests of consumers. Stainless steel, insulated water bottles both kept water ice cold for hours and reduced the use of plastics that were used in previously popular drinkware brands, such as Nalgene. 

More recently, Stanley’s “40-Oz Thirst Quencher” was seen in almost everyone’s hand. This one captured the market with social media buzz and health and wellness branding. In November 2023, a Tik Tok went viral showing the aftermath of a car fire which a Stanley had survived and kept the ice and water inside. The brand’s popularity increased with its impressive durability and the viral culture of social media. Once it gained name recognition, influencers promoted the Thirst Quencher for the large amount of water it could hold and its straw which made drinking water an “easier habit” – using the general desire of the public to increase their wellbeing to their advantage. 

The latest to win people’s hearts has been Owala’s water bottles, but if trends continue as they have, everyone will be sipping from something new sooner in the blink of an eye.