RRRoll to Win: So imperfectly successful
“Roll Up the Rim to Win” is arguably one of the most successful promotional campaigns in recent history.
In its 31st year “Roll Up the Rim to Win,” also known as “RRRoll to Win” by Tim Hortons, continues to attract more business and more media attention than any other campaign in the food industry.
It is one of the few campaigns in the food industry that has transcended beyond a generation. Media even reports the news of people attempting to steal boxes of Tim Hortons cups just to get their hands on a prize.
This promotion campaign is a stoke of brilliance from the now American-owned chain.
Since the 2014 takeover by 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway many people have wondered if the campaign would survive the new ownership — and it has as this is Tim’s third campaign since the acquisition.
The new owners of the restaurant chain remain committed to its highly profitable mid-winter classic promotional campaign.
Many things have changed at Tim Hortons since the acquisition, but not RRRoll to Win, which speaks volumes to how successful the campaign is to the franchise.
RRRoll to Win works for a few reasons. With any campaign timing is everything.
While most of Tim Hortons competitors run promotions during the holiday season, Tim Hortons holds its promotion afterward.
Back in 1986, when the first RRRoll to Win campaign began, it filled a wintery void of nothingness. RRRoll to Win now owns the February to March space. A space that no one else has been able to capitalize on the winter months in the same way.
In 2011 McDonald’s did try to increase its morning traffic by giving free coffee during Tim Hortons RRRoll to Win campaign. The McDonald’s promotion did affect Tim’s success, but only for this one year.
Also, the name itself is selfdescriptive — Roll Up the Rim to Win — and an easy to remember slogan. While the French version of the slogan for the Quebec market is less obvious, the campaign, nevertheless, has managed to position itself favourably over the years.
The use of social media has also made a difference in reaching several markets.
But most importantly, simplicity is the key. With RRRoll to Win, you can literally buy your winning ticket without looking at papers for winning numbers or anything else.
Other than winning instantly while buying what you would normally buy nothing else is required. The intrigue, the hidden information while finishing your drink makes the campaign tick.
In its first year the biggest prize was Timbits. Since then, vacations and cars have been added to the list of possible prizes. Noncoffee and doughnut prizes include the 2017 Honda Civic Coupe EX-T, 55-inch LG 4K UHD TVs, and $5,000 CIBC prepaid cards.
These companies see value in collaborating with Tim Hortons to increase their brand equity through co-branding.
The campaign is as simple for customers to understand as it is for Tim Hortons to run. Other than a few tweaks at the store level the RRRoll to Win campaign is a straightforward management challenge.
Over the years, RRRoll to Win has made several winners, but the biggest winner of all is undoubtedly Tim’s itself.
The campaign promotes Tim’s products in the hopes that some new customers will become hooked on the coffee once the campaign is over. The promotion is about building customer loyalty, and it has worked.
Given how imperfect it is, it is still surprising how other Canadian brands have never been able to match the effectiveness of RRRoll to Win.
It’s almost impossible to see the end of this campaign any time soon.
Coffee wars, however, are heating up in Canada. Many chains such as Starbucks, McDonald’s and others are vying to capture more coffee business from Canadians, and Tim Hortons will need all the help it can get from its RRRoll to Win campaign to keep its existing customers and garner new ones.