Hope Bagozzi (Tim Hortons)

Jun. 21

On this episode of Marketing News Canada, Darian Kovacs interviews Hope Bagozzi, the Chief Marketing Officer at Tim Hortons.

Hope says Tim Hortons was a big part of her childhood growing up and it is what got her through University. After finishing university, she lived in New Zealand for five years while her husband was teaching. While living there she worked hiring nurses for healthcare positions in hospitals. It was not her ideal job, but she is thankful for the experience it gave her and she claims it was very helpful in her current career.

After living in New Zealand, she worked at Mcdonalds, where she was hired by a headhunter. It was her first time working on the client side of advertising. “The secret for me there was always being curious,” states Hope. Being hungry to learn more taught her a lot. After years of hard work at Mcdonald's, she eventually took over the whole marketing department, where she spent a total of 15 years working!

Hope started working at Tim Hortons right before the Pandemic started, which also happens to be around the time of Roll Up the Rim. It was an opportunity to get creative on ways to still have the annual contest but have it be COVID-friendly. People have invented tools in the past to Roll Up the Rim, however, most people do choose to use their teeth, and for this reason, the contest had to be designed differently. They found a way to design the game digitally, and make it more fun and interactive.

When it comes to marketing, Hope says, “it is always in the spirit of innovation.” Sometimes new products are tried in the market and they fail because they do not fit the brand's target audience. An example of this was when Tim Hortons came out with a burger. They are so known for their coffee, donuts and small snacks that people were hesitant to try this burger and that is why it did not stay on their menu.

A plan the brand has for the end of 2021 is removing all artificial additives out of their core products, therefore, catering to a larger demographic that is health cautious. Plans that the brand previously had changed due to COVID as Canadians priorities began changing. Some of the adaptations they have made due to the pandemic they plan to keep in place. An example of this is Roll Up the Rim. Having it on an app is not only more sanitary but is also more environmentally friendly.

Hope promises exciting new menu items are coming to Tim Hortons soon. Her drive, ambition, experience and her desire to always know more make her a great Chief Marketing officer for Tim Hortons Canada.

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