Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee.
Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
Tim Hortons said the beverage is inspired by his "slight sweet tooth" and "love for hints of delicious vanilla flavouring in his coffee."
The coffee is cold steeped for 16 hours to enhance the flavour, while the French vanilla syrup gives it a sweet and creamy taste, the company said.
Biebs Brew will be released next month alongside a limited-edition, stainless steel tumbler co-created by the Canadian performer.
"Every brand under the sun is doing these collaborations with celebrities now," said Avni Shah, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
"It's becoming much more efficient and productive than traditional advertising."
She pointed out that the singer has 236 million followers on Instagram, compared with Tim Hortons' 456,000 followers.
"With just one post he reaches so many millions of people," Shah said. "It's just so much more productive than advertising on a billboard."
The latest product collaboration comes after the meteoric success of the first phase of the celebrity endorsement deal last November.
At that time, Tim Hortons introduced new limited-time flavours of the bite-sized Timbits doughnuts, dubbed Timbiebs, and co-branded merchandise.
The items -- a tote bag, a beanie hat and a fanny pack -- sold out quickly and turned up online with resellers asking thousands of dollars.
"We had lineups outside of restaurants," said Hope Bagozzi, chief marketing officer for Tim Hortons. "Kids would go on their lunch hour from school and be lined up around the building."
The fact that the Timbiebs products were only available for a limited time increased the buzz, Shah said.
"It created a sense of scarcity and drove demand," she said. "It also helped generate word-of-mouth advertising online."
Meanwhile, the restaurant's loyalty program Tims Rewards provides the company data on which customers bought Timbiebs and the accompanying merchandise.
While the collaboration did "over index with a younger guest" customers of all ages scooped up the Timbiebs products, Bagozzi said.
Marketing experts say part of the advantage of teaming up with Bieber is to appeal to a younger demographic.
Jose Cil, CEO of Tim Hortons' parent company Restaurant Brands International, said earlier this month that the first part of the collaboration beat the company's expectations.
The reprise of the celebrity endorsement deal is expected to boost sales of the restaurant's cold brew, which Tim Hortons launched in 2021.
At the time, the company said guests could enjoy the beverage various ways, including with "smooth and velvety Vanilla Cream." It's unclear how that flavour is different from the new French vanilla-flavoured Biebs Brew.
The partnership between Tim Hortons and Bieber aligns with the Canadian singer's frequent social media posts about the restaurant.
The Stratford, Ont.-raised performer has shared posts as far back as a decade ago about missing Tim Hortons while travelling outside Canada.
"Doing a Tim Hortons collab had always been a dream of mine," Justin Bieber said in a statement. "I grew up on Tim Hortons and it's always been something close to my heart."
He added: "We couldn't stop at Timbiebs, we needed a Biebs Brew too."
Successful brand collaborations involve a celebrity that already has an interest in the brand, which gives the partnership an authentic feel, Shah said.
"It works because Justin Bieber is a Canadian guy who played hockey and grew up with Tim Hortons," she said. "If he teamed up with Dunkin' Donuts it just wouldn't be the same."
Biebs Brew will be available at Tims restaurants across Canada and the U.S. on June 6. The stainless steel tumblers will only be available in Canada.
The company is also bringing back Timbiebs Timbits in chocolate white fudge, sour cream chocolate chip, and birthday cake waffle for a limited time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2022
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.