Tim Hortons Increases Brand Exposure During NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Canada-based QSR Tim Hortons is investing in a "national playoff deal for the first time" during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to Dan Steinberg of the WASHINGTON POST. The decision was made in part because the NHL "controls the inventory for all on-camera dasher board ads during the playoffs," and every playoff game has a "national U.S. broadcast audience, plus exposure in Canada." The company "already sponsors 11 NHL teams," and the deal has "brought the dasher board ads" to places like L.A., St. Louis and Chicago. Steinberg noted an ad also can be seen in DC's Verizon Center, although "outside of Virginia military bases -- the closest Tim Hortons are in either West Virginia or the New York City market." Tim Hortons PR Manager Brynn Burton said, "We're not specifically looking to expand into these markets, it's just good brand exposure" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/7).