How a Soft Drink Holder Became a Popular Branding Tool
July 8, 2025
At first glance, a stubby holder might not seem like anything special. It's soft, lightweight, and made to wrap around a drink. But even though it’s simple, it’s become one of the most popular and useful tools for businesses trying to promote their brand. Whether it’s handed out at a sports game, included in a giveaway bag, or sold with a company logo on it, the stubby holder has turned into more than just a drink accessory.
It’s now a smart way to help people remember a brand without having to try too hard.
Key Takeaways: Why Stubby Holders Are Effective Branding Tools
- Practical functionality: Stubby holders serve essential purposes by keeping drinks cold and preventing condensation from wetting hands, making them genuinely useful items that people actively use rather than discard.
- Cost-effective marketing solution: Companies choose stubby holders because they're inexpensive to produce, easy to customise with logos and slogans, and transform everyday drink accessories into mini billboards for repeated brand exposure.
- Long-lasting brand visibility: Unlike digital advertising or dated materials, stubby holders don't expire and can be kept for years, providing ongoing brand exposure long after initial distribution without additional investment.
- Positive brand association: Stubby holders are typically used during relaxed, enjoyable moments like barbecues, parties, and sports events, creating positive emotional connections with the brand during pleasant experiences.
- Versatile application across sectors: From large corporations to small businesses, sports clubs, community groups, and personal events, stubby holders work effectively across different budgets and organisational sizes.
- Word-of-mouth marketing potential: Creative, eye-catching designs encourage public use and conversation, naturally generating organic brand discussions when people notice and ask about attractive stubby holders.
- High retention rates: Their compact size allows easy storage in bags or drawers without taking up significant space, whilst their durability ensures they remain accessible for repeated use over time.
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START NOWWhat Stubby Holders Are Made For
The main job of a stubby holder is pretty basic: keep drinks cold. It also keeps your hands from getting wet from the condensation that forms on cold cans or bottles. Most stubby holders are made from foam or neoprene, which is a stretchy material that insulates well and fits tightly around drinks. They’re lightweight, easy to carry, and simple to use.
People bring them to picnics, parties, outdoor events, sports games, and family gatherings. They’re the kind of thing you don’t always think about, but when you have one, you end up using it a lot. That’s exactly why they’ve become so popular for branding.
Why Businesses Started Using Them
Companies are always looking for new ways to make people remember them. The more useful the item is, the better chance someone will keep it. A stubby holder checks all the boxes. It’s something people actually use, it’s easy to customize, and it doesn’t cost too much to make.
When a company prints its logo, name, or slogan on a stubby holder, it turns a regular drink accessory into a mini billboard. And it’s not just seen once. Most people who get a stubby holder use it again and again especially if it looks good or reminds them of a fun event.
Let’s say a business sponsors a local football game and hands out branded stubby holders to everyone in the crowd. Even after the game ends, people bring those holders home. They might use them at barbecues, on camping trips, or while watching TV. Every time that happens, the brand gets seen again. It’s a simple way to stay in people’s minds without having to run a full ad campaign.
What Makes Them So Effective
There are a few reasons stubby holders work so well for brand awareness. First, they’re practical. Nobody wants to hold a freezing cold can with their bare hand, especially if it’s wet. A stubby holder solves that problem, so people actually use it.
Second, they’re personal. When someone is using a stubby holder, it’s usually during a relaxed or fun moment at a barbecue, party, or sports game. That means any branding on it gets seen while people are in a good mood. That’s a huge advantage over other types of advertising, which might be ignored or forgotten.
Third, they last. Stubby holders don’t wear out quickly. Some people keep them for years. And because they’re not digital or tied to a certain date, they don’t expire. That makes them one of the few types of advertising that keep working long after they’re handed out. If a business wants to go a step further, there are even personalised stubby holders available that can be printed with names, team logos, or special messages. These versions are even more likely to be used and kept because they feel unique to the person receiving them.
Used by All Kinds of Brands
Stubby holders aren’t just used by big companies. Small businesses, community groups, sports clubs, and even weddings and birthday parties use them too. They’re popular because they fit almost any event or budget.
A local gym might give them out to members. A coffee shop might sell them at the counter with its logo on the side. A school team might give them to parents during the season. And because they can be made in small batches or large orders, they work for both personal events and big promotions.
Even non-profit groups sometimes use them to raise money or promote a cause. People like getting something they can actually use, so it feels more valuable than a flyer or sticker.
How Design Plays a Role
One of the best things about stubby holders is how easy they are to design. They come in different colors and styles, and there’s a lot of space for text or images. Some businesses use bright colors to catch people’s attention. Others keep it simple and clean, with just a logo and tagline.
The more creative the design, the more likely someone will use the holder in public. That’s why some brands take time to come up with fun or funny messages that go with their theme. When the design is eye-catching, people are more likely to pick it up and more likely to talk about it.
This makes stubby holders a kind of low-effort word-of-mouth tool. Someone at a party might ask, “Where did you get that?” and just like that, the brand is being shared without even trying.
A Useful Tool That People Actually Want
Not all branded items are treated the same. Some are thrown away or forgotten. But stubby holders tend to stick around because they’re something people can actually use. They’re
also small enough to fit in a bag or drawer without getting in the way, which means they don’t take up much space but still get noticed when it counts.
When people reach for a drink at home or outdoors, they often grab the nearest stubby holder without thinking. If it has a company logo on it, then that company is getting free advertising every single time.
What to Remember
Stubby holders might seem small, but they’ve made a big impact as branding tools. They’re useful, easy to carry, and simple to customize. Businesses like them because people use them again and again, which means more chances for their name to be seen. And since they’re often used at fun events, they leave people with a good impression of the brand behind them.
Whether it’s a company trying to build recognition, a club handing out gifts, or a person planning an event, stubby holders are a smart and practical way to stay in people’s hands and on their minds.
