Working with Tim Hortons, I helped to reinforce and grow their presence on Facebook while ushering in their YouTube presence by developing a Nationwide campaign.
The Great Coffee Conversation
Creation of video content to re-emphasize the brands reach and consumer connection, utilizing YouTube (a new platform at the time). Integration with content extended to Facebook, in-store Direct Message Boards, interactive banners and email communication.
Bringing a beloved brand into the social sphere
Interactive Advertising Creative
Solidify brand, promotion of initiatives and engage a core audience through interactive banner promotions. Banners pushed to site or to Facebook, where through branded content creation, online games and interactive communication a dialogue was created.
Annual & Sustainability Reporting
Creating online reports that are as engaging as a website, showcasing content to an audience just as interested in facts as one in interactivity. Annual and Corporate Sustainability Reporting was brought into the digital space and promoted on social channels.
Tim Hortons Great Coffee Conversation
Creative Direction, strategy, digital design, video editing.
A first of its kind; using social to further connect customers and increase loyalty, with iterations of contact at every touchpoint.
The people who choose Tim Hortons have stories and connections so deeply rooted in the brand, that their lives are literally intertwined.
At the time, four out of five coffees sold in Canada were sold at Tim Hortons. The Canadian brand team wanted to protect their reputation while also elevating their coffee leadership position and in tandem, continue to increase customer loyalty.
One caveat: The budget was limited, and using channels outside of television and mass print was strongly encouraged.
THE ASK
In 2007 I was solo fishing in a canoe on Silent Lake, Ontario at around 5:30 am. The surface of the water was glass, with the mist being burned off slowly by the rising sun. A haunting call from a loon who wanted to make sure I knew I wasn’t the only one fishing that morning, made the experience nearly perfect.
But I didn’t have a coffee… and that would have made things 100%. I paddled slowly back to shore, loaded my canoe onto the truck and drove 40 minutes or so to Bancroft, where I pulled into the Tim Hortons and made my morning perfect.
I’ve told this story more times than I can remember, and I’m not the only one with a Tim Hortons story. Canadians love talking about their coffee.
THE INSIGHT
Sports Moms and Dads everywhere will tell you which town they have to play in, and how far it is to get “their Timmies” before the game. Every road-trip starts with a box of Timbits and some coffees, every construction site stops when the takeout tray arrives. It doesn’t matter if it’s Toronto, Cape Breton or Moncton; people know they can count on their coffee and treats tasting the same wherever they stop.
Tim Hortons and Canada go hand-in-hand, and the goal was to make people notice and understand the lengths that they go to to get their special treat. By driving engagement amongst consumers about the coffee, engaging in conversations about the consistency of the coffee and their connection to the coffee, our audience shares their stories and they become part of the care and consistency narrative.
It’s not just emotion or patriotism or a commonality we all have, it’s actually a great cup of coffee and that’s something worth talking about.
THE STRATEGY
Why do you love Tim Hortons?
The Tim Hortons Coffee Project: A cross-Canada exploration of why Canadians love their Tims.
A study to engage consumers in answering a perennial pop-culture question while igniting the realization of how important the brand is to them.
THE IDEA
No host or celebrity face, just a film crew with a list of questions about Tim Hortons
Alberta
Red Deer
Innisfail
Airdrie
Nova Scotia
Halifax
Bedford
Dartmouth
Québec
Ville de Québec
Beauport
New York State
Amherst
Wheatfield
Ontario
Hamilton
Burlington
Travelling from coast to (nearly) coast and a few stops below the border to support the new American stores, we set to the task of editing and client approvals.
The end result netted out with 30 videos, While the core messaging was consistent, the stories varied. From regulars to people passing through, staff to couples, on-site and off-site, we began to see the story of peoples relationship with Tim Hortons really come to life.
CROSS CANADA CONTENT
Sponsored ads also pushed to the brands Facebook page.
Each video was released weekly with traffic driven by interactive banner support online.
Video based and rich-media banners played in numerous locations online.
ONLINE SUPPORT
The last frame of the rich-media banners held on a question. When interacted with, related info was displayed as the end screen, with a push to Facebook (this interaction also allowed for data collection)
Interesting note: The timestamp on the carafe was never more than 20 minutes off of the computer clock.
Personalized email blasts and in-store DMB made connections with the audience and invited them to the Tim Hortons Facebook page to engage in the coffee conversation further.
EMAIL AND IN-STORE
With the 30 Great Canadian Coffee Conversation videos, a brand-first YouTube account was created and branded for both Canada and the US properties, then populated weekly with the video content.
At the time, Facebook did not support video internally, however the YouTube content was leveraged in that platform.
YOUTUBE
There was a time when Facebook was a brands friend, and the level of interaction an audience would participate in was astounding by today’s measure.
From Email to DMB, banners to YouTube, all avenues pushed people to the Tim Hortons Facebook page.
Customers were actively engaged weekly with videos and interactive updates on Tim Hortons Facebook page via an infographic interface.
Tim Hortons Banners and Ads
Creative Direction, strategy, design, production
A variety of engaging mini-stories that perfectly encapsulate the brand
There’s not much more ignored than the lowly banner. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a story to be told.
It varies by product or season, campaign or innovation but the goal is to always get eyes on an ad, and encourage click-through.
THE ASK
Nobody likes them, and for the majority of the occasions an interaction with them was an accident with a mouse. That said, there’s still an opportunity to deliver consistent branded messaging, and provide some kind of information even if click-through never occurs.. either on purpose or by misstep.
THE INSIGHT
Bold colour, humour, movement and the un-expected are the tools to get eyes on a banner. Creating something that tells a small story but works equally as well when viewed as a single frame is the task. A clearly branded but product first environment that encourages click-through but delivers the information regardless is the outcome.
THE STRATEGY
Banner buys at one time let you do some crazy stuff. Expandable’s, vokens, full site take-overs and leaderboards talking to skyscrapers talking to big boys; it was the wild west, had a lot of fun on occasion.
Breakfast wraps
When Tim Hortons was introducing their breakfast wrapped sandwich, I came forth with the idea of having a simple breakfast of eggs and sausage with some cheese just starting to melt, then swiftly wrapping itself into a Tims breakfast wrap before transitioning to the end screen and call to action.
Concept
A full food styled photo-shoot was put together at Tim Hortons head office to get client approved “before” and “after” breakfast meals.
Ads ran at both regular rich-media formats and as separate floating vokens (where the breakfast rolled into a floating wrap).
Production
Everyone knows the feeling of those hot and sticky summer days. Heat is unrelenting, the pavement seems to be mirroring the sun back at you and the cicada’s are singing their announcement of the temperature to anyone that will listen.
There’s nothing better to beat those toasty vibes than with some icy refreshment, and Tim Hortons Iced Capp does the trick.
This design incorporated the traditional Tim Hortons brand colour and identity, but played off the distinctive red with the notion of those blistering summer days. The banner opens with an animated thermometer and accompanying copy appearing, before introducing the product and transitioning to a cool environment and promising the product attributes. Our story pays off with the core idea as the tagline, and holds on the final screen for a price point display.
Iced Capp
The favourite little treat that starts off every road-trip, or comes along for a day at the lake.
It’s summer time, and the Timbits box became the hero of this piece. Its top opens ever so and waves shoot out to remind our audience of Timbits at the beach. The box leans slightly and begins to pop out fireworks for the Canada day celebrations, then moves again as a kite flies out… These summer activities became the concept of the ad, as they tied into a Facebook campaign of an interactive Timbits Summer Checklist.
The core idea of the 10 piece grab-pack was to both pique the audience into thinking of their own use occasions, and remind them that whatever they were up to this summer, Timbits were ready to come along.
The final hold screen invited users to the Tim Hortons Facebook page for an interactive Timbits summer checklist, and utilized a character that was in other forms of marketing too.
Timbits
Informed by the brand team that they can barely keep hats in stock, this years offering was ready to fly off the shelves and the only job to be done was to inform folks it had arrived. No need to try and sell on the benefits, the product or the style; just let folks know it was available.
The only request; “Have some fun with this”.
Fun was had.
Tims Ball Caps
To build on the success of the baseball hat, for the colder season Tim Hortons brought a toque and scarf set into existence (the perfect holiday gift!).
Tossing ideas around of Tims haute couture, one of the managers mentioned having purchased a new snowblower and was looking forward to using it. The fashion shoot pretty much was pitched on the spot. The shoot was set up at Tim Hortons head office, the snowblower was brought in and the brand team spent the day enjoying the experience (with more than one or two laughs to boot).
Toque and Scarf
Tim Hortons: AR & CSR Reporting
Creative Direction, Strategy, UX, Design
Award winning annual and sustainability reports
The creation of a digital Annual Report and Corporate Social Responsibility Report that is both beautiful and functional, but equally accessible with the ability to get to data immediately.
THE ASK
Annual Reporting
Achievements:
2012 International ARC Award - Gold: Outstanding Achievement in Design Communication, Annual Report
2012 Gold MARCOM Award – E-Annual report
Corporate Sustainability Reporting
Achievements:
2014 International ARC Award – GOLD: Outstanding Achievement in Design Communications
2012 International ARC Award – Silver: PDF version of Annual Report: Sustainability Report
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