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4. Tim hortons marketing strategy
- year
- 2026
- brand
- tim hortons korea
- project
- marketing strategy
- market
- south korea
The challenge was to develop a marketing strategy that could increase Tim Hortons' brand awareness and profitability in South Korea. Although the brand benefits from its Canadian identity and attractive store environments, its relatively high prices create a challenge when competing with established Korean coffee chains. We wanted to find ways to make the brand more accessible to everyday consumers while giving them a stronger reason to choose it. We introduced two new marketing strategies: Tim Express and the Canadiano.
Tim Express is a smaller, takeaway-focused store format in high-traffic areas such as business districts and university neighbourhoods. With a smaller menu, no seating, and quick grab-and-go options, it would reduce operating costs while offering more accessible item prices and bringing Tim Hortons into consumers' everyday routines. The format fits Korea’s ppalli-ppalli culture, offering the speed and convenience consumers value while attracting new customers and encouraging them to explore flagship stores.
Floor Plan
We also proposed renaming the americano “canadiano”, giving Korea’s most popular coffee order a distinctly Canadian identity.
The name creates a memorable point of differentiation, sparking curiosity and conversation while turning takeaway cups into everyday brand touchpoints and encouraging organic word-of-mouth marketing.
