Tim Horton’s is once again celebrating Quebec’s most important holiday – St. Jean-Baptiste Day – with a campaign unique to la belle province.

Called “Je Tim En Bleu,” the campaign is an extension of past efforts and has been developed with The French Shop. The campaign focuses on the uniqueness of the province, which is home to more than 650 Tim Hortons locations and where the honey cruller (affectionately referred to by locals as a “roue de tracteur”) is the QSR’s top-selling donut. It highlights that fact with a limited-edition honey cruller decked in Quebec’s blue and white colours – which is being promoted through a spot featuring musician Roxane Bruneau.

“Roxane was an obvious choice because of her well-known love for Tims, of course, but also because she is an authentic artist who embodies the values of Quebec and of Tims,” says Nadine Nour, manager for marketing and communications at Tim Hortons.

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In the spot, Bruneau is riding around on a tractor, “going out to meet people and talking about Quebec pride, without taking ourselves too seriously,” the musician explains. A 30-second spot is running on TV, along with 15- and 6-second cutdowns, while a longer video is running online. Digital banners, billboards and social are all being used to support the spots.

Tims first began activating during the holiday in 2019, when it rebranded an entire Tim Hortons restaurant – including its pylon signage, tables, menus, logos, and team member t-shirts and uniforms – from the iconic red colours that the QSR is associated with to Quebec’s blue. In addition, the chain debuted new, blue hot beverage cups. It supported this effort with influencer content and a large celebration.

In 2020, the pandemic limited what the QSR could do. However, it still had restaurant owners from across the province wishing a happy holiday to Quebeckers. The video ran across its French social channels. That was followed in 2021 with another digital and social campaign, via a web series featuring Quebec celebrity Mehdi Bousaidan, who was depicted teaching and discussing the meaning of local expressions to newcomers to the province.

The iconic blue cups remained through all three years and are back again this year, along with the larger celebration that was greenlit alongside the full return of in-restaurant dining.