Despite changes in demand for different brands, styles and sizes, drinkware in promo doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

That’s according to new data from ASI Research, which found that even as ESP searches for “Stanley” in Q2 tumbled out of the top 10 after two consecutive quarters, “water bottles,” “tumblers,” and “mugs” all retained their spots among the highest-searched terms.

Overall, the top 10 ESP searches remained relatively consistent compared to last year’s Q2 top searches; the only change is that “beach towels” made their way into the top 10 and “backpacks” dropped out. The impact of brands anticipating summer campaigns revolving around the warm weather was felt in other ways, including “sunglasses” moving up two spots from Q1 of this year.

Searches for Stanley – the viral drinkware brand responsible for the 40-oz. Quencher tumbler, ASI’s 2023 Product of the Year – dropped 44% compared to Q1 of this year but still remained up 16% from Q2 last year. That Q2 drop indicates that Stanley mania may have reached its peak. In addition, flagging interest was potentially a result of lingering worries about lead in the tumblers, which the brand’s parent company faced lawsuits for earlier this year. (The brand and health experts have previously asserted that there’s “practically zero risk” of exposure from their drinkware.)

Searches for “Owala” – a rapidly growing brand carried in promo by ETS Express (asi/51197) whose FreeSip bottle has become the new “it” item in drinkware – spiked almost 900% compared to Q2 in 2023. The #owala hashtag on TikTok has been viewed more than 272 million times, and the brand was featured in Time Magazine’s list of the best inventions of 2023. Searches for Stanley on ESP are still nearly double those for Owala.

Still, that wasn’t the fastest-rising search term in the quarter. Searches for “lunch cooler bag” jumped nearly 984% year-over-year. Beyond merely reflective of workers both being back in the office and increasing cost-of-living rates encouraging a homemade lunch, it’s acknowledgement of the growing popularity of designer lunch bags and viral success stories like the Trader Joe’s mini insulated tote bags.

The popularity of pickleball continues to affect promo as well, with searches for “pickleball set” up 111% year-over-year. Searches for “challenge coins” (64%) – small coins branded with an organization’s insignia – as well as rubber ducks (61%) and fidget spinners (38%) all demonstrated notable growth in the quarter.

“Every year the line between promo and popular culture gets blurrier and the spike in searches for Owala and pickleball are the latest examples,” says Nate Kucsma, senior executive director of research at ASI. “Clients are demanding more than just the standard promo fare and distributors are happily, and in most cases able, to meet their needs.”

With summer events like Pride Month and Fourth of July on the minds of companies this summer, searches for related terms naturally jumped compared to Q1; “pride” was up 150% and “American flag” up 109%, with other outdoor-themed terms like “hand fan” (128%) and “beach ball” (114%) also on the rise compared to last quarter.

Notable drops among top searches compared to Q2 last year included “pop socket,” down 32%, as well as “fanny pack,” “stainless steel tumbler,” and “blanket” (all down 28%).

Looking ahead to Q3, we should expect to see relative consistency at the top but end-of-year searches spiking. Last year’s Q3 had ESP search terms like “Halloween,” “ornament,” “football,” and “blanket” up a significant amount compared to Q2 in 2023.

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