Roll up the Rim to Win

As soon as you finish your coffee (or even before that), you roll up the rim and check if you have won something? If you are lucky, in the best case, you could be winning a Toyota Camry or in the most likely case - a free coffee. Yes, am talking about Tim Horton's "Roll Up the Rim to Win" contest. Every now and then, I see folks in Toronto finishing their coffee and rolling up the rim to see if they have won anything. Recently, a stranger at the subway station asked me if I had won anything just as I had just finished my coffee and had rolled up the rim.(Unfortunately, the message read “ Play again”).

A promotional event something like this is bound to create some excitement. I found out that Tim Horton’s has been running this promotion for the past 26 years!. When they started this annual contest, the prize was just a box of Timbits. And every year since then, the prize has grown bigger and better. This year, Tim Hortons is promising $60 million in prizes. It is believed that about 80% of the prizes are redeemed every year. The company claims that he chances of winning are 1 in six. The excitement runs so high that there were recent reports that thieves have been stealing the Roll Up the Rim cups. Perhaps, this was the easiest way for the thieves to win a prizes that include Toyota Camry Hybrids and Panasonic 3D TVs.

I was curious to know if anyone had won a Toyota Camry yet. I googled and read that an Ottawa rapper had won it recently. Good, makes me believe that these promotions are for real! :)

Personally, I think this is a great marketing campaign. The loyal customers would feel good if they won something (even a free coffee) and the not so regular drinkers would hope for a big prize and try it out. And all this should ensure increased sales for Tim Hortons. Perhaps not!. This is what Tim Horton’s reported last year as it could not meet shareholder’s expectations. (I find this difficult to digest.)

Anyway, I’ll keep purchasing a few more Tim Horton products till the contests last and hope that I get a big prize. Owning a Camry or a 3D TV as prize would be nice ! Keeping my fingers crossed!