Tim Hortons: A Taste Worth the Weather

The Challenge: Introducing a Canadian Icon to Colder Corners of the U.S.

Tim Hortons holds legendary status in Canada. But across the U.S., the brand still needed to break through. The challenge wasn’t about awareness. It was about understanding what makes a cup of coffee from the north feel different. The answer wasn’t in the flavor notes or roast descriptions. It was in the culture. Canadians don’t just drink coffee. They trek through snowbanks for it.

To win over a U.S. audience—especially in colder markets—we needed to turn that dedication into a story Americans could relate to and laugh with.

The Concept: Cold Weather, Warmer Loyalty

The campaign leaned into contrast. Stark white backdrops. Snow-covered streets. Frozen sidewalks. And in the middle of it all, the bold red of a Tim Hortons cup or storefront. The visuals were quiet. The headlines carried the tone. Simple, dry humor that said exactly what people were already thinking.

The colder it looked, the more relatable it became. Headlines played off the extremes of winter with a wink, showing just how far Canadians will go for their favorite coffee. The concept translated immediately. Honest, visual, and instantly ownable.

Creative Direction: Let the Red Speak

The art direction was stripped down to snow, space, and one perfect hit of brand red. There were no props, no models, and no need for overexplanation. The humor came from contrast—both visual and emotional. We treated cold as a character, not a setting, and let it frame the coffee as something worth every step.

On social media, the tone stayed dry and sharp. Instagram and TikTok leaned into clean visual humor, with snowy loops, deadpan text, and store sightings that felt like rare moments of survival. The approach felt casual, not performative. People shared it because they knew the feeling.

The Experience: From Streets to Screens

The campaign showed up where the weather matched the story. We focused on colder U.S. cities where winter hits hard. Billboards, bus stops, and local placements reinforced the idea that this was a brand built for people who know what cold really means. The same visuals extended to food delivery platforms like DoorDash, where product pages featured the campaign lines alongside the items—making the experience feel as seamless as it was seasonal.

The Impact: Humor With Staying Power

By keeping it simple, the campaign stood out in a landscape of overdesigned seasonal ads. People connected with the honesty and passed it around because it felt true. It wasn’t a sales pitch. It was a shared truth. The visual system was flexible enough to live on screens, streets, and platforms without losing clarity or tone. In the end, the weather made the case for us.

Bringing the North Down South

Living near the northern border, just 45 minutes from Canada, made this campaign feel close to home. That kind of cold isn’t a concept—it’s something you know. This campaign came as naturally as snow falling in a Canadian winter. I helped shape the voice, wrote key headlines, and guided how the visuals adapted across formats. Everything was built to feel honest, relatable, and just cold enough to make you smile.