The viewing habits of Canadians have been shifting dramatically toward connected TV—and Tim Hortons is looking to capitalize on that growing audience, and supplant a holiday staple, with a branded offering of its own: The Tim Hortons fireplace, currently streaming on YouTube,
According to Google Trends, searches for fireplace videos reliably spike every year around the holidays. That trend is persisting this year, and is expected to have greater impact due to the rise in connected TV adoption among Canadians.
According to Google Trends, searches for fireplace videos reliably spike every year around the holidays. That trend is persisting this year, and is expected to have greater impact due to the rise in connected TV adoption among Canadians.
According to CBC data, as many as 65% of francophones and nearly three quarters of anglophones have adopted the technology.
More than 17 million people stream YouTube on their TV in Canada according to the platform’s data, and more than 60% of that watch-time on connected TV is for content exceeding 21 minutes in length.
The coinciding spikes create space for brands to court consumers in an organic way, which is exactly what Tims is aiming to do.
“Canadians love to celebrate the festive season by cuddling up by the fire with their favourite Tims’ holiday food and beverages,” said Solange Bernard, senior director of marketing for the QSR brand. “We’re looking forward to having Canadians join us throughout the holiday season by our cozy Tim Hortons YouTube Fireplace.”
The digital fireplace follows another attempt to embrace connected consumers earlier this month. Tim Hortons capitalized on the lofi music trend by rolling out a branded channel of its own: “A calm night at your local Tims.”
Both efforts are part of a larger strategy by the QSR to position itself as "a leader in digital through innovation," Bernard told The Message. It aims to use "unique and customized experiences" to engage with guests in more interesting and unconventional ways, she added.
While the brand is not the first to play in the fireplace channel space in Canada–Swiss Chalet famously rolled out a “rotisserie channel” several years ago – it is the first to bring the channel to connected TVs, and in high definition.
Aside from the YouTube content, Tim Hortons and its agency Gut have also rolled out more traditional marketing focusing on what it considers a key Canadian value: kindness. According to Bernard, it's a trait that is also "core to the Tims brand."
More than 17 million people stream YouTube on their TV in Canada according to the platform’s data, and more than 60% of that watch-time on connected TV is for content exceeding 21 minutes in length.
The coinciding spikes create space for brands to court consumers in an organic way, which is exactly what Tims is aiming to do.
“Canadians love to celebrate the festive season by cuddling up by the fire with their favourite Tims’ holiday food and beverages,” said Solange Bernard, senior director of marketing for the QSR brand. “We’re looking forward to having Canadians join us throughout the holiday season by our cozy Tim Hortons YouTube Fireplace.”
The digital fireplace follows another attempt to embrace connected consumers earlier this month. Tim Hortons capitalized on the lofi music trend by rolling out a branded channel of its own: “A calm night at your local Tims.”
Both efforts are part of a larger strategy by the QSR to position itself as "a leader in digital through innovation," Bernard told The Message. It aims to use "unique and customized experiences" to engage with guests in more interesting and unconventional ways, she added.
While the brand is not the first to play in the fireplace channel space in Canada–Swiss Chalet famously rolled out a “rotisserie channel” several years ago – it is the first to bring the channel to connected TVs, and in high definition.
Aside from the YouTube content, Tim Hortons and its agency Gut have also rolled out more traditional marketing focusing on what it considers a key Canadian value: kindness. According to Bernard, it's a trait that is also "core to the Tims brand."
