Lionbackers.com

Has anybody heard whether Tim's will be making their annual BC Lions game-day doughnuts this season?

Last year's football-shaped, chocolate-dipped, creme-filled piece of heaven was great (except that they didn't have them for the WDF or the GC! - somebody missed the marketing boat there), and the 2010 doughnut with the orange frosting and black & white sprinkles really hit the spot. Yum!

Yup, Tim's certainly is making their Lions Doughnuts again. I think they are like a quarter more than a regular donut. I had one after the Ticat game at the Tims on Pender (across from Tinseltown Mall). Got a little busy in there but considering it was post-game I thought it might be busier.....

Yeah looks like they'll be making the same ones they did at the Tim's on the island. Oh........wait......

CatsEyes wrote:Yeah looks like they'll be making the same ones they did at the Tim's on the island. Oh........wait......

There are few Tim Hortons I know of in Downtown Vancouver that don't bother to make the Lions doughnuts either. They seem to be hit/miss with this product. I just don't know why you say you're gonna do something if you are not! I tried one after the Ticats game because I saw they had them. I actually had forgotten they were even available.....

Yeah especially since they have the "Pride of all BC" thing going. I actually talked to the Lions and they told me that it's up to Tims where they are distributed, which I find really odd. I talked to some obscure Tims "customer service and marketing" person who pedalled around and said they would look into it and get back to me. And guess what? Nothing. Not a biggie-ever since Bob passed, we on the island are used to being the "poor cousin".

The official announcement today: http://www.bclions.com/article/tim-hort ... e-bc-lions

BCLions.com Staff

The BC Lions Football Club and Tim Hortons are pleased to reintroduce the BC Lions Donut Supreme, the Official Donut of the BC Lions, along with the BC Lions Quickpay Tim Card.

The tasty treat, a football shaped cream-filled donut featuring the BC Lions logo, will be available in more than 125 Tim Hortons locations from North Vancouver to Chilliwack on game days throughout the 2012 CFL season. The limited edition BC Lions Quickpay Tim Card is also available across the lower mainland while supplies last.

"We're excited to offer CFL fans two more great ways to show support for the BC Lions and enjoy Tim Hortons at the same time," said Chris Wakefield, Regional Marketing Manager for Tim Hortons.

Yeah thanks for rubbing it in. Enjoy.

I'm a happy fan right now!

Maybe Rick can talk to the folks at the C'wack Timmies' & get a special batch brought in for BC Lions Football Day.

Not such a fan of creme donuts, but I went ahead and tried one. Really not bad at all!

Two Tim's locations I've seen these 'elusive' BC Lions doughnuts are the location on Robson near the Central Library (3 blocks from BC Place) and the relatively new Tim's near Tinseltown, on Pender (also about 3 blocks from BC Place).

The best place to sell these donuts is at BC Place. Even though Lions are not involved with food and beverage you would think a savvy Lions marketing department would get PavCo (or whatever the corp. that runs BC Place) and a local Timmys together to make this happen.

Maybe Lions don't have a savvy marketing dept. Even so they should realize that marketing is more than just doing revenue producing stuff. Lions need to get their brand out there and seen and recognized on a constant basis.

DanoT wrote:The best place to sell these donuts is at BC Place. Even though Lions are not involved with food and beverage you would think a savvy Lions marketing department would get PavCo (or whatever the corp. that runs BC Place) and a local Timmys together to make this happen.

Maybe Lions don't have a savvy marketing dept. Even so they should realize that marketing is more than just doing revenue producing stuff. Lions need to get their brand out there and seen and recognized on a constant basis.

Cue David in 5....4...3.....2.....

CatsEyes wrote:

DanoT wrote:The best place to sell these donuts is at BC Place. Even though Lions are not involved with food and beverage you would think a savvy Lions marketing department would get PavCo (or whatever the corp. that runs BC Place) and a local Timmys together to make this happen. Maybe Lions don't have a savvy marketing dept. Even so they should realize that marketing is more than just doing revenue producing stuff. Lions need to get their brand out there and seen and recognized on a constant basis.

Cue David in 5....4...3.....2.....

Well, I am not hyper-critical. There are certain things they're good at. They seem to "get" the importance of social media and excel at that (they have the 3rd most Twitter followers in the league, just slightly behind the Bombers). While Tim Hortons' team doughnuts is a league-wide initiative (other teams offer them too), I give the Lions credit for trying to extend their brand to barbecue sauce and an energy drink. The club (and specifically the players) were also fantastic this off-season in taking the Grey Cup to communities around the province and seem to have forged a real connection with their fans.

Where they fall flat is promotion. Could this be the arrogance of winning a Grey Cup and believing they're in the same stratosphere locally as the Canucks? At any rate, the season ticket pouch was threadbare this year and there were no 'giveaway' nights to lure younger fans (miniature Grey Cups, lunchboxes, bobbleheads etc) - just a lot of player honours which, while important in maintaining a link to the past, don't put butts in the seats (although in fairness, they did try to make an event out of the Home Opener with Dragonette etc. to mixed results).

Also, if you subscribe the Marketing principle of the four Ps, with "Price" being one of them, then you have to give the club a failing grade. Epic fail in fact. While they can't change their price strategy mid-season, I would work on ways to offer value. Since the Beckham game yesterday was such a big event that attracted non-soccer fans, I would have offered, say $10 off the Touchdown End Zone section when you present your Whitecaps ticket stub. What about subsidizing the cost of a trip to the game by working with Translink on a free pass for ticket holders? It may encourage people to get up off the couch and down to the stadium.


DH

David wrote:Since the Beckham game yesterday was such a big event that attracted non-soccer fans, I would have offered, say $10 off the Touchdown End Zone section when you present your Whitecaps ticket stub.

I'm not sure the Beckham game attracted non-soccer fans. The attendance was 21,000, which was close the average Whitecaps crowd last year at Empire Field. I got sick of hearing radio reports of the Beckham game being played before "a sold-out B.C. Place." A sellout to the Whitecaps just means selling any seats where they choose not to put a tarp.

B.C.FAN wrote:

David wrote:Since the Beckham game yesterday was such a big event that attracted non-soccer fans, I would have offered, say $10 off the Touchdown End Zone section when you present your Whitecaps ticket stub.

I'm not sure the Beckham game attracted non-soccer fans. The attendance was 21,000, which was close the average Whitecaps crowd last year at Empire Field. I got sick of hearing radio reports of the Beckham game being played before "a sold-out B.C. Place." A sellout to the Whitecaps just means selling any seats where they choose not to put a tarp.

Point taken. I can't count how many times I've heard "sold-out crowd" attached to last night's game too. That would be considered an attendance disaster for the Leos, although the Whitecaps clearly could have sold more tickets but elected to keep the tarps on - even in the Lower Bowl! (I'd hate to have been John Furlong's secretary yesterday....).

Still, I am not convinced that even with 21,000 in attendance, there aren't several thousand "lookie loos" - casual soccer/sports fans that are either given tickets for free at work or purchase them to say they've been to a Whitecaps game. The Southsiders (Whitecaps' supporters group) have even chastised this group for arriving to their seats after kick-off (I guess this is considered the height of gauche by the soccer snob community. Whatever.). Anyway, those are the folks I am talking about targeting.


DH