Have you ever seen a Tim Hortons commercial, social media ad, or even a billboard and felt all warm and fuzzy?
Tim Hortons’ advertisements are known for their heart-warming ads about family, Canadian identity, and perseverance.
In this case study article, we’ll take a deep dive into Tim Hortons marketing strategy and what you can learn from their model.
Know what you want to read? Skip ahead to:
1. A brief introduction to the Tim Hortons brand
2. Crafting the “Canadian Identity” through video
3. Appealing to emotion on social media
4. A change in pace: using humour
5. Lessons learned for your business
Ready to get started? Let’s take a closer look at Tim Hortons and its marketing strategy. Or, if you’d like to learn more about how you can begin working on your own marketing plan, get in touch with us at Relevantly!
Tim Hortons Marketing Strategy Case Study: Selling a Feeling
Tim Hortons is a brand best known for its “Canadian-ness” although it has opened up locations in 14 other countries around the world including Spain, The U.S, and the Philippines.
To better understand Tim Hortons marketing strategy, it’s a good idea to start with a short introduction to Tim Hortons and their brand.
A Brief Introduction to Tim Hortons
In 1964, Tim Horton opened up his first coffee & donut shop in Hamilton, Ontario.
The original name was “Tim Horton’s Donuts,” which was later changed to just “Tim Horton’s” and is now known as “Tim Hortons” (without the apostrophe!)
Tim Horton was a well-known Canadian NHL hockey player - and this is why Tim Hortons is so closely associated with all things hockey and Canada.
Tim Hortons created many iconic food favourites, such as the Timbit (launched in 1976) and the Iced Capp (launched in 1999).
The first Tim Hortons in Hamilton, ON also contains a small museum
on the top floor, showcasing Tim’s history
Tim Hortons continued to expand and grow locations throughout Ontario and Canada. By the year 2000, the 2,000th Tim Hortons restaurant opened up in Downtown Toronto. In total, there are nearly 5,000 Tim Hortons restaurants around the world.
Tim Hortons continued to expand within Canada and North America, and eventually other countries around the world. As of 2018, there are Tim Hortons shops located in 14 different countries.
Tim Hortons began as a small coffee and donut shop but now offers a wide range of food products and even sells merchandise such as Christmas ornaments, mugs, t-shirts, hats, and so much more.
Crafting The unique “Canadian Identity” Through Video
Now that we have a bit of Tim Hortons history under our belt, we can better understand why and how Tim Hortons has become so closely associated with all things Canada, and how they use their marketing strategy to try to sell us the Canadian Identity.
Let’s first take a look at one of the most well-known and iconic Tim Hortons commercials called “Proud Fathers”.
The “Proud Fathers” Tim Hortons commercial
This commercial is not directly trying to sell you anything. Tim Hortons coffee is featured as a subtle piece of the story in the background.
The story on the surface shows three generations, a new Canadian citizen, his son, and his grandson.
The father and son share a special, heartwarming moment when the son realizes his dad (who appeared to be unsupportive of his hockey-playing) was actually there at all his games.
When you take a deeper look at the commercial, you see the ways that Tim Hortons implies they were connected to this story:
The father was given a Tims coffee by another dad when he snuck in to see his son play hockey as if being told “you belong here too.”
The father then shares a Tims coffee with his son, as if he is passing along this “tradition.”
The father specifically says “double-double” - which is a well-known “Canadian” way of saying two cream, two sugar.
This commercial is a great example of how the Tim Hortons marketing strategy tries to sell you a feeling rather than a product.
The coffee is not, at least not obviously, the focal point of the commercial. The feeling of belonging, tradition, familial bonds, and of course, a newfound Canadian identity, are the main themes.
However, it is implied that the way to get those things is through purchasing a coffee.
Let’s take a quick look at a second commercial with a similar feel.
The “Welcome Home” Tim Hortons commercial
Once again, the actual Tim Hortons product is barely featured in this commercial, but it is still a pivotal part of the story.
The man welcomes his family to Canada for the first time, and the first thing he does is hand his wife a Tim Hortons coffee as if to say “this is a symbol of Canada and your new Canadian identity.”
These are just two examples of how Tim Hortons uses an appeal to identity and emotion to market their products.
Appeal To Emotion on Social Media
Social media marketing can be a bit trickier when it comes to employing a marketing strategy as the one Tims uses for its traditional commercials.
Commercials are long and it is easy to tell a more detailed story. With social media, your ads or posts need to be quick and concise.
Most people are not going to sit through long video ads, so you need to quickly grab their attention and make your point known.
tugging on heart strings:
Just like their commercials, Tim Hortons often appeals to emotion through their social media posts and advertisements. For example,
This simple Tim Hortons ad appeared on Facebook and used both an appeal to emotion and star power to sell.
This ad featured Shawn Mendes, a well-known Canadian singer-songwriter, with the simple text “home is where the heart is.” It also included “#ProudlyCanadian”.
Just like with the commercials we featured above, this ad helps create a connection between Tim Hortons and feeling at home in Canada, as well as the idea that your Canadian identity is linked to enjoying Tims.
Tim Hortons doesn’t just try to tug on your heart strings, however. Sometimes they use humour in their marketing strategy as well.
Using Humour On Social Media:
Using humour is actually another great way to appeal to emotion. Humour easily grabs attention, especially on social media. Most people are checking their Facebook or Instagram to connect with others or enjoy lighthearted posts.
That’s why using humour in social media ads or posts is a great way to grab attention (and if you want to learn more about a company that succeeded with a humour-based strategy, check out our Dollar Shave Club case study)
This Twitter post by Tim Hortons was simple, effective, and “punny” - it grabbed attention while staying true to their Canadian roots:
This post was put up during the 2019 NHL playoffs where the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Boston Bruins.
Tim Hortons put up this post using the iconic Boston Cream donut and made an admittedly pretty hilarious pun.
This was not only funny, but once again it appealed to the idea of Canadian identity - hockey, Toronto/Canada pride through sport, and the idea that Tim Hortons is rooting alongside Canadians during these big moments.
Lessons Learned For Your Business
Tim Hortons has been carefully crafting the Canadian brand for decades, using ideas of national pride, identity, family, and a strong appeal to our emotions.
The Tim Hortons marketing strategy is one that we can learn a lot from - but we should also be careful when appealing to emotions.
Using an appeal to emotion in your own marketing strategy can help grab attention. It is also a less direct way to sell a product or service; instead of advertising your product directly, you are advertising a feeling or experience.
And while that can work, it can also be tricky. You definitely do not want to exploit your customers and their emotions.
There is a fine line when it comes to marketing and emotions, so you will want to be mindful and strategic when using this type of strategy.
If you want to use this type of strategy in your own marketing but aren’t sure how, it’s best to work with the professionals who know how to make the most of your marketing strategy, appeal to your ideal customer, and create appropriate ads.
Let’s take a look at two examples of ads: one that appeals to emotions in an appropriate way, and one that is simply trying to sell you a product.
Book Store Ad example #1
This first ad uses an image of the products being sold - a stack of kid’s books located on and around a bookshelf.
Book Store Ad Example #2
This second ad uses the exact same text - the same headline text, button text, and additional text below the ad.
However, the second ad uses an image of a happy mom, reading a book with her smiling young child and engaged baby.
The second ad appeals to emotion because even though it doesn’t say it in the ad, it implies that:
These books will help you create happy memories
You and your kids will bond while reading
You’ll experience a quiet and peaceful activity
Although subtle, the images that you choose, the text that you write, and everything else included in your ad can all be used to appeal to emotion and create subtle (or not-so-subtle) ideas about what your product can do.
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