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The Countdown Has Begun
The countdown has begun. Only five more days until Tim Hortons unveils its new donuts—three special Timbits co-created with celebrity endorser Justin Bieber, to be known as “Timbiebs.”
The new Timbits—sorry, Timbiebs—will come in three flavours: Chocolate White Fudge, Sour Cream Chocolate Chip, and Birthday Cake Waffle. The teaser ads will probably start this week.
So what is Justin Bieber doing getting into bed with the donut mega-chain? He surely doesn’t need the money, and it takes precious time away from recording and promoting his music. Well, according to Mr. Bieber, “Doing a Tim Hortons collab has always been a dream of mine. I grew up on Tim Hortons and it’s always been something close to my heart.” I guess when you’ve achieved your dream of stardom by the age of 15, you have a few years remaining in which to fulfill your lesser dreams.
For Tim Hortons, the partnership with Mr. Bieber offers an opportunity to break free of the perception that it is a place where old retired people go to sit around, drink coffee, and wait for something interesting to happen. Will Tim’s suddenly become the place to see and be seen? Will people stop lingering over machiatto lattes at Starbucks and settle for 20-minute seating over a double-double?
Or will regular customers forsake the Tim’s experience because they don’t want to be associated, even indirectly with Mr. Bieber’s endorsement? Because he’s stirred up some controversy this week by agreeing to perform in Saudi Arabia—the country that dismembers its critics. And because they don’t have much good to say about his music.
But whether the impact on Tim’s customers generally be positive or negative, the association clearly makes sense for those who grew up with Justin Bieber. His most fervent fans are now aspiring hockey moms and dads, and their kids will be starting to play Timbits hockey. An opportunity to ensnare a new generation of Tim’s customers has arisen.
I’d love to know what Mr. Bieber’s contract with Tim Hortons has to say. Is he getting paid a lump sum; or is he taking a percentage of sales of the Timbiebs? Does Tim’s have to stock a bathtub full of Timbiebs in his dressing room before every performance? Is there a ‘bad behaviour’ clause that allows Tim’s to cancel the deal if he does something to embarrass the company? For how long are the parties committed to this deal?
The questions keep pouring out. Will you be able to acquire Justin Bieber music and merchandise at Tim’s? Will Tim’s do pop-up concerts at participating locations? Will he contractually bound to record a song expressing his love for Tim’s? Will Tim’s menu expand to include more Bieber-themed items? Will he be endorsing products from other companies in the Restaurant Brands International stable, such as Burger King, Popeyes fried chicken and (as of just the other day) Firehouse subs?
Now comes the really tricky question. Should I sample the new Timbiebs or give them a pass because I am not a Justin Bieber fan (although I suppose I could become one if I ever listened to his music)? That Birthday Cake Waffle mashup sure sounds tempting. Maybe I could pick up a few of them through a surrogate, or under the cover of darkness when no one else is looking.
Why am I getting so worked up about this? Just because Justin Bieber and I both crave Birthday Cake Waffle Timbits, it doesn’t follow that we are soul brothers; that would amount to guilt by association. And celebrities endorse products all the time—even products they like. It’s not as if Tim’s belongs to me or any other member of the general public; it just sometimes feels like it does, because it is omnipresent.
Tim’s is surely a big-tent place; it can handle both Bieber fans and Bieber non-fans. The contracting parties are both grownups. And the two of them just might be having a little fun with the campaign, if the web video about the collaboration is anything to go by. Some of that good feeling might rub off on me, if I am prepared to let it.
And let’s give Mr. Bieber his due. Without him, the Birthday Cake Waffle—and the Chocolate White Fudge and Sour Cream Chocolate Chip—Timbit varieties might never have seen the light of day. My considered conclusion is that I owe it to Mr. Bieber to try them—openly and unashamedly. I’ve already got next Monday morning, early, marked in my calendar. A dozen Timbiebs, please.
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