BC Lions or Vancouver Lions?

[CatsEyes]

CatsEyes, I hope your tongue is well-planted in your cheek, because getting riled up about something Timmy's is doing that is completely out of the team's control borders on treason! What's next? Will you be telling us you have Rider green jammies?

So you're telling me that the Lions have no say and no control over who uses their logo and where it's used? Doesn't really matter anyway. The donut's not the point. The point is, the team is advertising themselves as The Pride of All BC. Then they come up with something that is only available in a select area of the province. Hardly representing "all" BC, IMO. If this was the first time we'd been left out, I could sort of understand.

And as a matter of fact I "am" wearing green and white jammies, but they have penguins on them. If I was gonna cheer for another team, it would be an eastern one.

[Soundy]

CatsEyes, I hope your tongue is well-planted in your cheek, because getting riled up about something Timmy's is doing that is completely out of the team's control borders on treason! What's next? Will you be telling us you have Rider green jammies?

So you're telling me that the Lions have no say and no control over who uses their logo and where it's used?

I haven't seen the donuts this year, but last year they were just regular donuts with orange and black sprinkles. Somehow I don't think the Lions control the colors orange and black.

Doesn't really matter anyway. The donut's not the point. The point is, the team is advertising themselves as The Pride of All BC. Then they come up with something that is only available in a select area of the province. Hardly representing "all" BC, IMO.

Actually, the donut IS the point: does the team have control over where Tim's chooses to market certain products? Unless the answer to that is yes (highly doubtful), blaming the team is sort of pointless. I can see Wally making the call... "Hi, Timmy's? Yeah, I want you to make sure those donuts are ONLY available in the lower mainland, okay? None for the rest of BC. kthxbai."

Did Tim's "come up with" the idea, or did the team? Seeing as they had blue-and-green-sprinkled Canucks donuts in the NHL season, and you'll find donuts with appropriately-colored sprinkles in most (if not all) other CFL markets, I would tend to think it was Tim's idea. Found this picture on bluebombers.com:


A Toronto Star article had this picture of a Leafs donut:


Found a blog with a picture of a Riders donut:


How about this gem?


Arland likes them!

[West Coast Blue Fan]

This years version, available in 125 locations


Last years version, available in 110 locations



The Canucks also have a beverage available....however it doesn't come with a cup.....zing!!

[Lionheart]

Tims SUCKS.

They don't use food anymore.. not sure what it is but their so called chicken is frozen factory crap shipped up from the states...(all their *poop* now is frozen frankin' food shipped up) horrible *poop*. It's just not Canadian anymore.. even the coffee sucks now. Big thumbs down.

[Whisperin' Jimmy]

The point is, the team is advertising themselves as The Pride of All BC. Then they come up with something that is only available in a select area of the province. Hardly representing "all" BC, IMO. If this was the first time we'd been left out, I could sort of understand.

First, if Tim Horton's isn't doing its promotion province-wide, it is presumably because they think there will be no demand outside Metro Vancouver. Might I suggest your best bet would be to write Tim's and request that they introduce the special in your community? This company did not become dominant by ignoring consumers.

Second, a little perspective, please. The team has based its 2011 marketing campaign around an appeal to the whole province. And held its training camp in Kamloops, not for economic reasons but to build a fan base in the Interior. The model is clearly the province-wide marketing juggernaut we see in Saskatchewan. So, all in all, you are being rather cup-half-empty about this donut thing, don't you think??

[donefron]

Will the great donut debate rip apart our province? oh no!LOL! don't worry cant find them here on game day most of the time anyway, most of the time just a get a confused look with them saying "really theirs a game today, didnt know". Also lets get Surrey a stadium and keep the team here, The New Surrey Lions yeah! a little tongue in cheek sorry. It is frutrating since we are all fans but as a season ticket holder it frustrates me that a fanfest is in the interior when the people that buy the tickets & support the team are here in Vancouver. At least we have the practice facility to get closer to the players. The Lions usually tour all over BC in the offseason so as to get closer to their fans not in the GVRD.

[David]

While I sympathize CatsEyes, I tend to think this is more a Tim Hortons decision than the club's. It begs the question - are there not more province wide initiatives because the demand just isn't there, or is there little or no demand because they haven''t given it a chance? I tend to think it's more the former, but perhaps a bit of the latter as well.

If this was introduced in all corners of the province and bombed, it could be an expensive lesson for the sponsor.

DH

P.S. I think the team needs to do more work in the Victoria market. When I was there last summer, I passed by a sports bar that displayed a Canucks flag and a Seahawks one. I suspect they are the more popular football team.

[David]

I've long wanted to know the geographical breakdown of Lions season ticketholders. I suspect there's a majority from outside the city of Vancouver, with many of us from south of the Fraser River. Since the team is based in Surrey, maybe it should be called the Surrey Lions.

I had a Marketing meeting with Lindsay Carswell about 6 or 7 years ago - he was the club's director of marketing and corporate programs at the time. Interestingly - and I can't quite remember the exact sequence - but he told me "Vancouver" had the most season ticket holders of all regions in the GVRD.

DH

[CatsEyes]

I think what was hitting me yesterday was the fact that it was the anniversary of Bob's passing, and I was thinking of his One Fan at a Time belief. I felt let down as a fan. I don't feel like I matter, or that my opinion counts for anything. It's not about the stupid dried up frozen donut. It's about being ignored as a fan. I wouldn't expect a lot of you to understand.

[Hambone]

As I don't have a Tim's within 120km of where I live it's no skin off my butt whether they have BCL donuts or not. Frankly it's no skin off my butt that there's no Tim's within 120km of where I live either. I rarely bothered to patronize the one that was within 150 yards of my former Prince George residence. Once you get outside the greater Vancouver area I suspect demand for something like that wouldn't be all that great, at least not in enough volume to be justified given they do have a shelf life in terms of hours, not days. The farther away one gets from Vancouver the more watered down the BC Lion brand is even amongst CFL fans. Up here in the Peace region there are as many Eskimo fans as Lion fans which should be no surprise given it's 7 hours or less to Commonwealth vs 12 to BC Place. When I spent some time working in Invermere/Radium Hot Springs a couple years back I was really surprised at the "Little Alberta" feel. The Canucks and Lions played second fiddle to the Flames and Stamps. If Timmy's in those areas wanted to play the CFL donut game they've have to lean towards the Alberta teams to sell them.

[KnowItAll]

I think what was hitting me yesterday was the fact that it was the anniversary of Bob's passing, and I was thinking of his One Fan at a Time belief. I felt let down as a fan. I don't feel like I matter, or that my opinion counts for anything. It's not about the stupid dried up frozen donut. It's about being ignored as a fan. I wouldn't expect a lot of you to understand.

how a person feels is important, whether logic supports it or not. I bet Bob would care

[CatsEyes]

David, how do they know the demand isn't there if they don't try? When we got BC Ferries to put on late night sailings for us, not only were the sailings 80% full, a large percentage of those on board were Lions fans.

donefron, thank you for proving my point. If the prevailing belief is that the Lower Mainland fan is king, and that those in Kamloops, the Interior and the island are secondary, the Lions should run with that (although with Chapdelaine on board, they'll get stuffed on 2nd and 1 and have to punt).

FTR I have been in touch with Tim's, and as expected have heard nothing back. That's OK. Serious Coffee is local and closer.

And for the remedial class, it's not really about the donut. It's about being the pride of "all" BC.

[Coast Mountain Lion]

This years version, available in 125 locations

Bad year to make it a Boston cream pie

[B.C.FAN]

I've long wanted to know the geographical breakdown of Lions season ticketholders. I suspect there's a majority from outside the city of Vancouver, with many of us from south of the Fraser River. Since the team is based in Surrey, maybe it should be called the Surrey Lions.

I had a Marketing meeting with Lindsay Carswell about 6 or 7 years ago - he was the club's director of marketing and corporate programs at the time. Interestingly - and I can't quite remember the exact sequence - but he told me "Vancouver" had the most season ticket holders of all regions in the GVRD.

DH

I wonder if that includes corporate accounts and sponsors. That would skew the numbers. I buy my own tickets but often give the corporate tickets (Vancouver business address) to friends and family in the Valley.

[Hambone]

I've long wanted to know the geographical breakdown of Lions season ticketholders. I suspect there's a majority from outside the city of Vancouver, with many of us from south of the Fraser River. Since the team is based in Surrey, maybe it should be called the Surrey Lions.

I had a Marketing meeting with Lindsay Carswell about 6 or 7 years ago - he was the club's director of marketing and corporate programs at the time. Interestingly - and I can't quite remember the exact sequence - but he told me "Vancouver" had the most season ticket holders of all regions in the GVRD.

DH

I wonder if that includes corporate accounts and sponsors. That would skew the numbers. I buy my own tickets but often give the corporate tickets (Vancouver business address) to friends and family in the Valley.

And I know of corporate ST holders from Surrey and other burbs. Would they also skew the numbers?

It only makes sense that Vancouver proper would lead the way, even moreso now given the growth in residential properties literally within a driver and a wedge distance from the front steps of BC Place. With the possible exception of Toronto no CFL team enjoys as dense a population so close to their stadium as do the Lions with BC Place. The growth of condo towers within walking distance of BC Place has been incredible in the past 2 decades. Relatively speaking there was nothing in that end of False Creek and Yaletown when the Lions set up shop compared to now.