Roll Up The Rim to Win in Afghanistan
2April 25, 2007 by Colin
The key to continuing customer loyalty is never stop delivering on your brand and product promise. Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee and donut chain, knows this and delivers in spades.
A year ago, Tims opened up an outlet at the Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan. There are 2500-odd Canadian troops operating in Afghanistan, as well as other international troops.
The company’s regular Roll Up The Rim promotional campaign gives away thousands of prizes at outlets across Canada: cars, bbqs, free drinks, donuts and cash prizes are up for grabs. The campaign has become a pseudo-cultural event for many Canadians.
Winning codes can be found under the waxy rim of each paper coffee cup. (There’s even a custom tool for rolling the rim.)
This year, Tim Hortons has launched a custom Roll Up The Rim campaign designed specifically for the troops in Afghanistan. The cup design incorporates modern camouflage patterns, and the in-store promotional posters are in several international languages. 5 prizes of $1000 are available to be won, as well as caps, digital cameras and the usual donuts and coffee.
That’s a customized promotional campaign, built on the existing material, for ONLY ONE OUTLET.
This is a company that understands its brand and product promise – and knows it has to deliver this promise at every outlet.
Have you ever wondered what a combat zone coffee shop looks like? Take a look at this Canadian Forces Combat Camera footage shot by Sgt. Ed Whitmore (15 meg .mov)
Photo by Sgt. Roxanne Crowe, Canadian Forces Combat Camera.
Thanks to David Akin for the pointer.
[tags] Tim Hortons, Roll Up The Rim, Coffee Shop, Donuts [/tags]
Just gotta say, God bless Tim Hortons.
It definitely has an occult-like, groupie, evangelists following. First heard and saw Tim Horton’s on my family’s summer trips on the 401 to Campbellsford, Ont., for fishing every few years.
And, was thrilled when one opened on my way to work earlier this year.
Really, Tim Horton’s coffee (other than it being fresh) and doughnuts and etc. are not too different than any other “doughnut shop.” But there just is something special about Tim Horton’s.
It beats Starbucks any ol’ day.
Mike
Colin, this article from the National Post is more than a year old, but it still provides a good grounding in the origins of the “Roll Up the Rim to Win” contest:
“On the rim of greatness?”
http://www.canada.com/topics/finance/companies/story.html?id=28269b82-f6df-4e6b-92ee-dfc5a522ad91&k=8705
Ron Buist, former head honcho of marketing at Tim Hortons, provided one of the keynote sessions at last fall’s SoHo Business Show in T.O., an event I was invited to attend.
I have to say, I was filled with admiration about the way they turned a little doughnut shop into a national icon and even lingo (“roll up the rim,” “double-double,” etc.). Did you know that the “Tim Hortons” set from Canadian Air Farce is one of the few permanent ones in the collection? Something Ron told us.
What was amazing about the marketing in the early years is that they went on instinct (didn’t do focus groups; didn’t do market research). Even “roll up the rim” was primarily designed because it was an INEXPENSIVE promotion.
[And for Mike, Ron also told us that the coffee served at Tim Horton (to this day) is based on a mix of seven different beans that Tim and his wife arrived at in their personal kitchen. It seems they spent weeks trying different mixtures/strengths until they arrived at this particular blend. So, I think in many ways the coffee *is* special, even if I don't think it is particularly great. Plus if you are going to become part of the cult, you must learn to say "Tims" or "Timmies," and not put the possessive s ('s) on the name. S'truth!]
Anyhow, I came away from that keynote with a few ideas that I’m incorporating into this year’s strategic plan.