Always Fresh, Always Social Media

When writing about social media and public relations on this blog, I've tried to tie as much as possible to my personal experiences. The "brands" I encounter on a regular basis include the TTC, my employer (which I will not disclose here) and President's Choice (where I do my banking and buy my groceries).

But wait, I've left out a crucial part of my daily (sometimes twice or thrice daily) routine. This product is with me day in and day out, through all seasons and in all locations. That's right-- this social media topic is going to relate to one of my very best friends...coffee.

I'll admit, when I drink coffee I don't normally think about the social media aspect of what I'm consuming. But, when pondering the issue, I've noticed that everyone's favourite buzzword seems to be meshing quite well with Emily's favourite caffienated beverage.

I drink my school's cafeteria coffee out of convenience and I'll even admit to consuming instant coffee at home (don't judge). My favourite, however, is still Second Cup. Though the people in charge appear to have retired my favourite flavour (RIP Cuzco and your delightful dark chocolate taste), Second Cup to me is like a less dominant version of Starbucks with shorter lines and more variety. Plus, its Canadian.

However, so is Tim Horton's, which is the subject of this post. Though it's not the best coffee-wise, I do enjoy it during "Roll Up the Rim" season, and it fits nicely into my ever-shrinking student budget. It's also gone social media-happy and has done an amazing job of nurturing its Canadian identity, which makes it an interesting topic of discussion.

While Tim Hortons has a Facebook application that allows users to send virtual Timbits to their friends (yes, I am confused by this as well), it also has something far more powerful. Every Cup Tells a Story, is a blog that allows Tim Hortons customers to share their experiences, including how it allows for a bonding experience with their friends, or represents a young couple's "love at first sight" after meeting online (true story). Other users can rate the stories and can click on tags that direct them to entries that tug at their heartstrings or make them laugh. These tales can also be shared on Facebook, further expanding the social media reach of this initiative.

I find this a little weird, to be honest. But maybe I'm a cynic, as it seems to be working-- Every Cup Tells a Story is a hot topic on PR blogs, and one cup story about a "Tim Hortons Wedding" had over 4,000 views. 4000 views? For a piece of prose about how you began your marriage with a cup of coffee? Unreal!

This is also a great case study in brand identity. The very fact that people use this nifty site is proof that Tim Hortons is doing a good job of tying their product to their desired image: the everyperson's coffee (unlike Second Cup), part of being Canadian (unlike Starbucks obviously) and, perhaps most importantly, a community. In the words of Rachel Douglas, Tim Hortons Director of Public Affairs: "We want to show how Tim Horton's is always in the background of people's lives. The goal here isn't just more sales."

However, it's not perfect. To elaborate, let's look at the competition. As Maggie Fox of Social Media Group notes in a Hamilton Spectator article, Starbucks has undertaken a similar initiative but with a different twist: My Starbucks Idea is a feedback blog, designed to help remedy the company's falling stocks by allowing customers to contribute to improvement. In short, as Fox notes, "Tim Hortons is getting a lot of huggy-feely ideas, but not any real insight into its customers."

So, with that in mind, it's possible to argue that Tim Hortons isn't transparent enough, or as Fox suggests, that many of these stories are written by a Tim Hortons marketing exec. Surely, criticisms of Tim Hortons exist. I, for one, have many. Still, these aren't being made public and definitely aren't viewed by Tim Hortons as essential to the company's community.

However, it's possible that transparency and feedback isn't really what Tim Hortons is going for. I reckon that with Tim Horton's stocks selling for significantly higher than Starbucks, the latter probably has a lot more work to do in terms of recovery. Thus, they need the customer feedback and the social media tools just to stay afloat. Timmy's, on the other hand, is doing just fine. So I say, let them have their huggy-feely stories. They've earned it.