Tim Hortons brings “Greatest Duos” hockey card campaign to Quebec audience

Tim Hortons is adapting its latest campaign to the Quebec market, highlighting its long-standing relationship with hockey.

The campaign “Les cartes de collection Duos remarquables de Tim,” features the company’s new series of Greatest Duos collectible hockey cards. The cards include active and retired NHL and PWHL players with a noteworthy relationship, whether they are teammates, rivals, siblings, captains or coaches.

The creative behind the French-language campaign shows Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki at a Tim Hortons alongside an actor, who comically personifies Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis. Other Quebec hockey players are included in the campaign through additional creative assets. The English-language campaign focuses on familiar faces in the hockey scene as well, featuring brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and their father Keith sharing a Tim Hortons coffee.

“Through this campaign, we wished to curate a unique creative that would reach and resonate with Quebecers. There was no better way to highlight this collection launch and get Quebecers excited about the program than by partnering with Nick Suzuki,” Tim Hortons senior manager of marketing communications Nadine Nour tells strategy.

The campaign fits into Tim Hortons’ established positioning as a community brand rooted in both Canadian and Quebec culture, Nour says.

“Quebec is an important market for Tims, and as Quebecers often say: ‘Hockey is a religion in Quebec’,” she says.


For Nour, the campaign is also a natural continuation of the company’s strong hockey presence and connection to the sport. She says Tim Hortons’ NHL Trading Cards have become fan favourites since they were launched in 2015. In the time since that launch, the brand has strived to offer new programs to elevate each collection, she says.

In 2022, for example, the QSR rolled out new cards with creative focused on Team Canada players, while last year it launched with legendary hockey players. There are now 180 cards to collect.

Nour says the cards have been a success for the company because of the love and commitment Canadians have for hockey. They are also eager to know more about the players and connections in the sports arena, and the cards meet that need. Nour adds that the initiative has also allowed the brand to appeal to both customers and casual buyers of collectible cards.

Gut developed the campaign, and The French Shop adapted it to the Quebec market. It’s supported by billboards, Spotify ads and organic content, as well as 30-, 15- and six-second TV spots. Digital on the campaign was handled by MediaMonks, with Horizon Media overseeing the traditional buy.