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Controversy puts Tim Hortons' in-store digital signage network under the microscope

The Tim Hortons fast casual chain of coffee and doughnut shops is reviewing its in-store digital signage channel, according to The Canadian Press and CTV News. The review of the Tims TV in-store digital signage network comes after it was embroiled in controversy over third-party advertising.

August 3, 2015

The Tim Hortons chain of coffee and doughnut shops is reviewing its in-store digital signage channel, according to The Canadian Press and CTV News.

The chain is reconsidering the operation of its Tims TV in-store digital signage network after it was embroiled in controversy over third-party advertising on Tims TV.

The controversy was sparked when Tim Hortons provided advertisement space to an oil pipeline company on its in-store digital signage screens. Environmentalists launched an online petition to get the chain to pull the ads, and when Tim Hortons did so, "some oil sector supporters called it an insult to one of Canada's biggest industries and launched their own boycott," according to the story.

The conflict showed the potential dangers of a brand as recognizable as Tim Hortons selling ad space to companies that could rankle its customers.

The coffee and doughnut chain began experimenting with Tims TV last year before rolling out screens at restaurants across the country. The company described Tims TV as its own version of a community space, serving as a home for the latest news, weather, local events and branded videos.

But the thrust of the concept was to pocket revenue from what's essentially a billboard inside the restaurants. Advertisers could buy airtime on Tims TV in a looping rotation of content.

Canadian movie theatre operator Cineplex Inc. ... runs Tims TV as part of a multiyear agreement with Tim Hortons where both companies sell advertising time on the screens.

"We're now taking a look at the whole Tims TV program and what makes sense for the brand," said Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Tim Hortons' parent company Restaurant Brands, in an interview with The Canadian Press. "As with many things in the restaurant, we explore what's best from time to time."

(H/T to Sixteen:Nine.)