Anyone who has drank a double-double knows that Tim Hortons
has lots of experience serving sugary products to Canadians.
According to an article by Harrison Mooney on the Puck Daddy
hockey blog, this commercial may be one of the most successful examples of this.
Apparently, this commercial has proven so popular that Tim
Hortons had to produce a full version of the featured song due to the ravenous
demand.
This commercial did not appeal to me at all, which is
surprising because I love hockey, and I drink a lot of coffee.
I have seen these commercials countless times while watching
hockey with my brother. While we have talked about this commercial, it was
usually about Crosby’s knockoff black jersey and the fact that all the people
going over to Crosby’s side is a good metaphor for Pittsburgh bandwagon fans.
As my advertising teacher Kenton Larsen pointed out, there
is precedent for this.
The hit song “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (in
Perfect Harmony)” started off in a commercial for Coca-Cola.
According to the Globe and Mail, the advertising agency Tim
Hortons uses, JWT Canada, conducted research indicating that Canadians want to
see a more assertive, less apologetic representation of Canada.
I do acknowledge there is something memorable about this commercial. The determined look on Crosby’s face, and the
gesture the coach makes to the kid to go on the ice are particularly memorable.
In the end, it is not surprising that selling hockey to
Canadians works. I think as the Winter Olympics get closer we can expect a
lot more commercials like this one.
