Tuesday, May 24, 2011

An Example in Buzz

Tim Horton’s is a staple to Canadian coffee drinkers. For me, the name Tim Horton’s immediately brings to mind my childhood. After a long game of soccer my parents would take me to Tim Horton’s for a comforting hot chocolate and donut. Delicious. Tim Horton’s is well known in Canada and a staple of our culture – that’s a fact.

But I’m afraid they’re relying too much on their reputation when pushing campaigns. Whether companies are big or small they need to create buzz. They need to stir emotion up in people, and frankly this is a hard thing to achieve. Tim Horton’s most recent campaign is The Litter Awareness Program, and in order to raise awareness they have taken conventional measures. They have created the typical posters most companies will create and branded it onto their coffee cups – but is that really stirring any emotion in the community?

What they should do is be unconventional. This can be achieved by taking a route that’s a little more difficult, but a route that will definitely stimulate media discussion and community involvement. In order for Tim Horton’s to position themselves as an environmentally aware and community minded company, they need to take larger steps than a poster or themed coffee cups. They should take 45 minutes to gather some garbage up at the local community park and put it in a glass container inside their stores. Show people how much garbage actually pollutes our parks and our streets. Tim Horton’s should be a measure, and lead by example. Tim’s Horton’s should be unconventional and stand out in everything they do.

It’s too easy to be mediocre because conventionality plagues the way we think. With more competitors than ever, conventional paths make it impossible to become extraordinary. Whenever faced with a challenge a company needs to create that buzz and stir up that emotion. Be different. Be Extraordinary.

Ask yourself" – “How can my company create buzz?”  

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