Tim Hortons‘ iconic Roll Up the Rim contest is about to get a lot shorter and more complicated as the coffee chain moves to slash costs while pushing customers to use its mobile app.
It’s also going to involve a lot less rolling, and probably a lot less winning.
The company announced a new set of rules for its annual Roll Up the Rim contest on Wednesday, and those rules are a far cry from what Canadians might be used to.
Essentially, the contest will come and go before you know it — and you won’t see nearly as many discarded roll-up cups lying around this spring. Instead, Canadians will be expected to collect “rolls” through their Tims Rewards account, which can be redeemed online or through the Tim Hortons app.
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Roll Up the Rim will run for four weeks from March 11 until April 7, according to the newly published rules. That’s much shorter than last year, when Tim Hortons ran the promotion for 10 weeks (Feb. 6 until Apr. 17, 2019).
Tim Hortons changes “Roll Up the Rim”
Additionally, physical roll-up cups will only be available in-store for the first two weeks of the contest. Tim Hortons will hand out digital “rolls” to customers’ accounts for the full four weeks, meaning you can get two entries per coffee over the first 14 days.
Customers who buy a hot drink with a reusable cup will get three digital rolls for all four weeks of the contest.
“Tim Hortons has modernized its iconic contest to allow for a combination of paper, digital and sustainable play,” the company said in a news release announcing the rules on Wednesday.
Tim Hortons also plans to give away 1.8 million reusable cups for free on March 10, just before the contest gets underway.
The company says its efforts will make Tim Hortons more sustainable. However, it’s unclear how much impact it will have, as most customers who earn a digital “roll” will still be buying their coffee in a paper cup — just not one with a prize under the rim.
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Tim Hortons chose a “hybrid” model of paper cups and digital “rolls” to accommodate those who prefer the old way of doing it, according to Hope Bagozzi, the company’s chief marketing officer. However, she also expects the digital app to generate excitement throughout the contest.
“It actually has broader appeal than people might think,” Bagozzi told the Kelly Cutrara Show on Wednesday. “People of all different ages and right across the country are using the digital technology.”
Bagozzi also acknowledged that the digital app allows Tim Hortons to learn more about customers’ habits, but she says that data will not be shared “in any way.”
“The idea is to be able to know what’s relevant to guests,” she said.
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LISTEN BELOW: Tim Hortons CMO Hope Bagozzi explains the new Roll Up the Rim contest to Kelly Cutrara on Global News Radio 640
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