By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
When the donut chain Tim Horton’s signed a deal last November with pop superstar Justin Bieber (pictured here in a promotional photo), it brought together two Canadian icons, collectively as popular as maple syrup or ice hockey.
Now, Restaurant Brands says the licensing collaboration between Tim Horton’s and Justin Bieber boosted sales by an astonishing 10.3% in Q4 2021.
The Bieber-inspired ‘Timbiebs Timbits collection also impressively reversed an 11% decline for the same quarter a year ago.
Tim Horton’s is a Canadian institution, with drive-through restaurants regularly experiencing lineups for their popular double-double coffees, sandwiches, and of course the donuts that started the chain.
But during the pandemic sales in the sit-down portion of the restaurant suffered, particularly as the restaurant is especially popular with older patrons. Management saw the need for some star power to boost sales, and in Canada, there are few bigger stars among younger fans than the Bieb.
The deal in November resulted in a licensed collection of three flavors of donut holes called Timbits, including chocolate white fudge, sour cream chocolate chip, and birthday cake waffle, and the restaurant also sold a variety of branded merchandise. Dubbed the Timbiebs Timbits, the collection instantly boosted visits, particularly among a younger demographic that Tim Hortons had struggled to attract.
Timbiebs “was one of the more successful traffic-driving initiatives in recent memory and outperformed our internal expectations,” said Restaurant Brands CEO Jose Cil during an analyst call discussing the company’s financial results.
“I’m a Belieber!” Cil added, saying the promotion led to “unprecedented social engagement and increased appeal with younger guests.”
Bieber himself said he was enthusiastic about the partnership, adding he grew up eating at the Tim Horton’s chain, a claim that is almost certainly true given Canadian’s predilection for the brand’s popular coffee and donuts combos.
The recovery at Tim Horton’s also helped parent company Restaurant Brands International reach a healthy recovery for the quarter. The company’s total fourth quarter revenue rose to $1.55 billion, an impressive increase from $1.36 billion a year earlier.
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