Not just coffee, Tim Hortons brews experiences: Akshat Arora, CMO

New Delhi: In 33 corners and 14 cities of this Chai-loving nation grows a warm community that aims to foster innovation in coffee. Tim Hortons, the coffee maker with Canadian roots, fought the marketing battle long and hard to get itself a place in the hearts of Indians. 

“A successful marketing strategy is only half the battle,” said Akshat Arora, Head Marketing & Product, Tim Hortons. “Exceptional customer experience remains paramount for Tim Hortons' continued success in India.”

In an exclusive conversation with BestMediaInfo, Akshat Arora, CMO of Tim Hortons, talked about how the global brand made its way into the tea-loving rigid Indian market, how it fits the bill using localisation and why it focuses on delivering an experience to its customers. 

According to the parent company's release, in August 2022, Tim Hortons, owned by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), saw a 16.7% sales growth in Canada, reaching $1.56 billion in revenue. Its international segment grew by 14%, generating $270 million.

Tim Hortons, contributing nearly 60% of RBI’s total revenue, added over 300 new stores globally, mainly in China, where it operates 400+ outlets. The chain now runs more than 5,300 stores across 13 countries, including Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Mexico.

Understanding the Indian coffee drinker

Tim Hortons didn't just parachute into India with its existing offerings.  They conducted extensive research to understand the nuances of the Indian coffee drinker. 

"We understood that Indian coffee drinkers have specific preferences, and we wanted to cater to those preferences," Arora explained. This included offering both bold and mild coffee roasts and designing their cafes to be welcoming spaces where customers could linger and connect.

Localisation is key

While Tim Hortons offers its signature products, they haven't shied away from localisation. "Localisation of an international brand is crucial to succeed from a socio-cultural positioning lens, while also staying true to the brand’s DNA," Arora stated. 

The brand entered the Indian market with its menu featuring items like Baida Roti Cigar Rolls in Mumbai, Malabar Ghee Roast in Bangalore, Chicken Tikka Croissant, Paneer Tikka/Chicken Seekh and Egg Wrap etc. to appeal to local tastes. Notably, they recently switched to 100% eggless Timbits to cater to a wider vegetarian audience.

Marketing experiences

Tim Hortons goes beyond just selling coffee. They create experiences.  "We want Tim Hortons to be more than just a place to grab a coffee," Arora said. 

"We want it to be a place where people can connect, relax, and enjoy a truly Canadian experience." 

They host art workshops, coffee masterclasses, and poetry readings, fostering a sense of community and ‘giving customers a reason to return.’  Their marketing heavily utilises social media, particularly Instagram, to connect with millennials and Gen Z.

Regarding a brand’s success, Arora said, “I don’t think a brand’s growth or success can be pointed out to one or two things. Magic happens when all of their efforts come together in a way that appeals to the customer and keeps getting them back to their brand.”

He believes that while the cafe brand has highlighted different focal points of marketing through its growth, from on-ground activations for awareness to influencer marketing and testimonials, the brand’s main focus has always been customer experience. 

“Whatever amount of marketing one does as a brand, if the customer is not satisfied and does not have a good experience at the store, all the efforts don’t matter,” he added. 

When talking about marketing for a specific TG, Arora spoke about how a brand’s central TG remains the same while the peripheral TG keeps evolving. 

For example, Tim Hortons’ central TG has always been urban millennials and GenZ who are a part of the cafe culture and visit cafes for work and hang out with friends and families. He believes that the brand’s peripheral TG could be people beyond the particular age group who are not the primary audience but are still passive customers. 

Brewing branded content

Arora strongly believes that branded content helps a brand gain relevance in the minds of its TG. He revealed that Tim Hortons indulges a lot in influencer marketing and collaborations with books, poetry and other clubs to maintain its ethos of being a space beyond just coffee. 

He commented, “The idea is to build deep, authentic connections with our TG and I feel branded content helps in doing that.”

Be it the brand’s debut film, ‘BeYouAtTimHortons’ or the Timbit bouquet custom-made for Mother’s Day, Arora believes that the brand has always weaved its content and marketing around its core values of ‘delivering comfort and warmth.’

He also recalled how, among other collaborations, the official branded collaboration with Lotus as a brand and launching a range of Lotus Biscoff products for Valentine's 2024. 

Challenges over coffee?

Being a global brand, Arora admitted that one of the brand’s biggest challenges has been translating their brand values into the Indian context. 

He added, “We stand for comfort and warmth but what it translates as to the Indian audience is what we had to figure out.”

They also needed to constantly innovate their menu to keep pace with evolving customer preferences. He said, “We’re working in a market where the customer is very connected to the ongoing trends and it is up to us to constantly evolve and innovate our menu to keep up with customer preferences.”

He believes that a challenge that relatively new brands need to address is “How do we choose the right platforms to market ourselves and choose the right media mix to do that?”

He added that in the F&B space, there is so much data available with their aggregator partners. Learning and making decisions that are backed by data and understanding consumer behaviour to develop targeted campaigns are other challenges he highlighted. 

In the festive pipeline

As festivals fast approach, Tim Hortons has a lot brewing this season, according to Arora. 

"We believe that festivals are a great opportunity to connect with our customers," Arora explained. They had launched special Rakhi-themed donuts and plans for festive beverages and Indian-inspired fusion options for Diwali are in the making.  They also plan to offer Diwali gift hampers with their merchandise, becoming a vocal part of the gifting culture during festival seasons.  

Looking ahead, Tim Hortons is excited about launching its own app and loyalty program to further connect with customers. "We believe that technology can play a significant role in enhancing the customer experience," Arora said. "Our app and loyalty program will allow us to offer personalised rewards and promotions."