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Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal

The consumption experience of Tim Hortons’ coffee fans

Richelieu André Korai Bernard

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Richelieu André Korai Bernard , (2014),"The consumption experience of Tim Hortons’ coffee fans", Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 17 Iss 3 pp. 192 - 208

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The consumption experience of

Tim Hortons’ coffee fans

André Richelieu and Bernard Korai

Marketing Department, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada

Abstract

Purpose– The purpose of this research is to understand the overall consumer experience, while highlighting the means through which consumers live and take possession of what they consume.

Design/methodology/approach– Holt’s typology serves as the theoretical background. Choosing a netnographic framework, we analyze the coffee experiential universe of 41 Canadian consumers of Tim Hortons’ coffee by studying their personal stories posted on the company’s website.

Findings– Individuals predominantly associate the consumption of coffee with ritual, happiness, joy, travel companion and extended relationship. These categories relate to mystique (ritual); pleasure (happiness and joy); travel (travel companion); and love (family-like relationship).

Research limitations/implications– We acknowledge that there is a danger of bias in our data considering that we used the narratives that recorded the highest hits. However, these narratives represent a socially constructed reality which was validated by Tim Hortons’ fans themselves.

Practical implications– To maintain a strong market position, it is no longer sufficient to understand the associations linked to the overall experience of a product’s consumption. The company must also have ways of accessing or appropriating the consumer experience.

Originality/value– The study shows that it is possible for today’s consumer products to become symbolic representations in the minds of consumers, provided that the consumer has a strong attachment to the brand. It is essential to understand the appropriation practices of consumers’ experiences, as these hold significant theoretical and managerial implications.

Keywords Branding, Experience, Consumption, Coffee, Hockey/Sport, Holt’s typology

Paper typeResearch paper

Introduction

In The Consumer Society, Baudrillard (1970), writes that the utilitarian nature of consumption has steadily morphed into an emotion-and symbol-producing activity,

where the object of consumption is the key to an “economy of experience” (Pine and

Gilmore, 1999). In recent years, there has been a growing interest in “experiential” consumption among academic and business communities. According to some authors (Addis and Holbrook, 2001; Carù and Cova, 2003), this keen interest might well be explained by the emergence of a new type of consumer – one who is more demanding, eager for innovation and always looking for a unique experience. Studies support the idea that customer satisfaction, through a pleasant consumer experience, positively impacts the customer’s judgement (Homburget al., 2006;Leeet al., 2008), enabling the company to increase its profitability and market share (Laiet al., 2009).

Despite its mass appeal, the concept of experience remains a rather unexplored field. In fact, most studies on experience analyze it from the perspective of satisfaction or the

This research has been made possible, in part, thanks to a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1352-2752.htm

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Received 18 June 2012 Revised 24 January 2013 Accepted 21 March 2013

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal Vol. 17 No. 3, 2014 pp. 192-208

DOI10.1108/QMR-06-2012-0032

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emotions and feelings derived directly from the act of consumption (Ladwein, 2002). Such an approach seems rather reductive when one considers that, today, many consumption activities do not fall in line with traditional definitions of experience. To better understand the consumer experience, one should study it in its entirety, from a perspective that promotes the discovery of new dimensions.

Authors interested in the consumption experience, have, for the most part, been focussed on understanding the perceived expressions or advantages – emotional, sensorial or symbolic. If we know that these experiential consequences or advantages are themselves strongly attributed to the manner in which the consumer captures the

experience (Ladwein, 2002), it may also be interesting to study the mechanisms and

ways that consumers access the consumption experience.

The objective of this study is twofold: to identify the dimensions associated with the entire consumer experience and to outline the different modes of access and appropriation of this experience. In this sense, we have chosen to explore the experiential universe of coffee consumption by analyzing the narratives of 41 Canadian

consumers of Tim Hortons’[1] coffee. Very few studies conducted in the area of food

have been really interested in applying the concept of experience to products of common consumption, whereas “[…] even the less experiential products can have an experiential dimension to them” (Boulaire and Richelieu, 2005, p. 2).

This theoretical limit is also the main point around which gravitate our main contributions. Indeed, from a practical standpoint, this study should help highlight the process by which consumers build their symbolic and emotional attachment towards the brand or product. Through the analysis of different consumer experiences, some strategic perspectives have emerged to help businesses understand how their consumers appropriate themselves the experience of consumption, and also how they should capitalize on it. From a theoretical point of view, the study enables us to update the literature about consumer experience by highlighting other forms of its manifestation, particularly in the food industry.

The article has three major sections. The first takes inventory of the literature on the central concept of experience. The second section applies the concept of experience to the consumption of Tim Hortons’ coffee. The third highlights contributions, limitations and avenues for further research.

Literature review

The concept of experience

The concept of experience is a deciding and unavoidable notion in the mind of the

postmodern consumer. It appears for the first time in the work ofPine and Gilmore

(1999, p. 2), who mention that:

[…] when a person buys a service, he purchases a set of intangible activities carried out on his behalf. But when he buys an experience, he pays to spend time enjoying a series of memorable events that a company stages to engage him in a personal way.

According to these authors, contemporary societies live a profound revolution, characterized by a shift from a service economy to an experience economy. In this era, consumers, through their consumption activities, are increasingly inclined to express their sensual, libertarian and emancipatory demands through a persistent search for

meaning and experiences (Carù and Cova, 2003).

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The postmodern consumer seems more preoccupied with the search for gratification – eclectic, hedonistic, aesthetic and symbolic – promoted by different

consumption activities in which he/she is involved (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982).

The supremacy of the experiential element of consumption is illustrated here:

[…] consumer is embedded in a symbolic world […] the individual consumer is constituted differently through direct experience with objects or through the manipulation of symbols that are projected via the goods he or she consumes (Venkatesh and Meamber, 2008, p. 52).

Today, most managers take into account the importance of delivering a good experience to their customers because they are aware that individuals are no longer making a decision solely based on functional attributes (e.g. price and size) (Yuan and Wu, 2008). For over a decade, the concept of experience has become a cornerstone in the design of

modern marketing. As a case in point, in a number of sectors (e.g. tourism [Alistair,

2006]; healthcare [Hill, 2003]; arts [Petkus, 2002]), this concept has become a key element in the marketing strategy implementation. In an increasingly competitive market environment, experiential marketing seems for practitioners an extraordinary strategic weapon for deepening the consumers’ intangible needs or meanings to offer them some products and services that feed their fantasies, dreams and symbolic projections towards the product or brand (McNickel, 2004). As presented byAlistair (2006, p. 485), “Experiential marketing describes marketing initiatives that give consumers in-depth, tangible experiences in order to provide them with sufficient information to make a purchase decision”. Many authors have demonstrated that the experience delivered by a company is very crucial for its success in developing a stronger emotional bond with customers, such as in sports (Blumrodt et al., 2012; Dwyer, 2011; Park et al., 2011;

Richelieu and Pons, 2011). An extraordinary experience can also trigger customer

satisfaction towards the brand or the product. For example,Bearden and Teel (1983)and

Fornell (1992)showed that a higher level of customer loyalty, intention of repetitive purchasing, positive word of mouth and market share were correlated with a higher level of customer satisfaction.

Holt’s typology

With the emergence of the experiential perspective, some authors have highlighted the

increasingly symbolic role that objects of consumption play (McCraken, 1986;

Thompson et al., 1990). Objects are no longer consumed solely for their utilitarian function; objects are also indicators of meaning, enabling individuals to construct their identity and assert their social belonging. From this perspective, the act of consumption could take into account the various relationships that individuals have with the objects

being consumed.Holt (1995)illustrates that individuals continually evolve in a world

made of meaning and symbols, at the heart of which their identity is negotiated, organized and created from the significance attached to the objects of consumption. Holt

outlines a typology that metaphorically describes consuming asexperience,integration,

classificationandplay.

Consuming as experience. ForHirschman and Holbrook (1982), consumption is a personal and subjective experience which leads to a constant search for sensorial and emotional stimulation. The consumer becomes an emotional being in search of experiences that are increasingly spectacular and extravagant. The utilitarian and functional elements of a product are gradually being replaced by more sensual aspects

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that illustrate an individual’s desire for a more vivid and diverse life. Individuals look for gratification experiences through consumption: intense and extraordinary experiences that allow them to momentarily escape the realities of daily life (Maffesoli, 1990).

Consuming as integration.According toCova and Carù (2006), people consume to live, that is to say, to construct their individual and social identities. Numerous authors (Aaker et al., 2001; McCraken, 1986) have emphasized the element of identity by presenting consumption as a group of practices through which individuals acquire, negotiate and interpret meanings associated with objects. By means of semiotic transfer, consumers integrate object and self by negotiating the associated symbolic properties. “They (consumers) look for a symbolic meaning in the products they consume through the image these products give off in order to build, maintain and communicate their identity” (Boulaire and Richelieu, 2005, p. 2).

Consuming as classification. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms and

processes that govern consumption practices, Cova and Cova (2001) came to the

conclusion that the social interaction matters more than the product itself. Objects are not strictly consumed for the experience or for enculturation because, for the most part, they serve to strengthen social connections. Individuals devote themselves to consumption activities to develop social paths, allowing them to express their desires to be connected or to interact with others (Kleineet al., 2006); to assert their belonging to or their dissociation from a group, and to ease their path through various social transitions in life (Curasi, 2011).

Consuming as play.According to Holt’s definition, theplaymetaphor is a set of rules surrounding consumption and awarding the individual the necessary gratification – allowing him/her to enjoy the emotional benefits linked to the experience of

consumption. Other authors (Kleine and Baker, 2004;McCraken, 1986) have suggested

broader definitions applicable to the world of consumption. According to them, the

termplaycan refer to the rituals developed, shared and maintained around an object to

facilitate its consumption. Such rituals can come in different forms, provided they offer the consumer with a memorable and gratifying experience.

Methodology

Data collection

Given that we are looking to explain the inherent and underlying constructions,

meanings and motivations behind different individual consumer experiences (Goulding,

2005), we selected a netnographic approach for data collection. Kozinets, one of the most known and prolific marketing/consumer behaviour researchers in netnography, defined it as:

[…] a process or research methodology that adapts ethnographic research techniques to study the cultures and communities that are emerging through computer-mediated communications […]. It is used to identify and understand the needs and decision influences of relevant online consumer groups (Kozinets, 2002, p. 62).

Netnography is a popular method in qualitative marketing research communities because it fits better with the new realities of consumption: the growth of internet use and proliferation of brand communities that enable consumers to express their lifestyles, attitudes, values and evaluations of products or brands to their peers around

the world (Kozinets, 2002;Sandlin, 2006). In marketing and consumer behaviour fields,

it has been used to investigate some topics such as bride-to-bride planning cross-cultural

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weddings (Nelson and Otnes, 2005); new social movements of consumer activism about

anti-advertising (Kozinets and Handelman, 2004); online coffee communities (Kozinets,

2002); and co-production and creativity in online communities (Boulaireet al., 2008,

2010). By referring to this research methodology, consumer behaviour researchers can

follow their customers from the physical sphere to the virtual sphere and get closer to

them (Boddy, 2009). Given that the meanings that consumers attribute to possessions

are rapidly evolving in the virtual world, netnography offers a valuable research perspective (that may not be available by using some traditional research approaches) to catch powerful insights from consumers’ virtual discourses, materials (e.g. photographic, images, videos [Brace-Govan, 2007;Martin, 2004;Kozinetset al., 2008];

experiences and meanings towards products/brands [Boddy, 2011; Goulding, 2005;

Mariampolski, 1999]). In this paper, our qualitative analysis, by using a netnography methodology, is based on a selection of 41 narratives from Canadian drinkers of Tim Hortons’ coffee.

Participant selection

For theEvery Cupcampaign, Tim Hortons’ consumers had the opportunity to share

their personal stories about their consumption of Tim Hortons’ coffee. The contributions could be stories, photos or images capturing the memorable rituals of the consumption experience. The selection of a sample group was made on the basis of material (textual

or visual) available on the company’s website (www.timhortons.com/ca/en/index.html).

Two criteria were used for the selection: viewing frequency (100) on the brand’s site and the appreciation rating of each story (an evaluation of consumer appreciation relative to the story describing personal experiences of drinking Tim Hortons’ coffee). Viewing frequency is about the intensity with which a story is seen or read on the brand’s website. We chose the minimal threshold of 100 views because the majority of stories that reach it contain enough textual material about the Tim Hortons’ consumption experience. When a story is among the most viewed on the site and has a high appreciation rating, it is chosen to be part of the sample of stories on which our analysis of Tim Hortons’ consumption experience should be done. These are somewhat all the stories that are eligible (based on our two selection criteria) to express the main meanings that consumers attribute to their Tim Hortons’ coffee experience. Out of the 60 stories preliminarily selected on the aforementioned criteria, we kept 41, basing our decision on the principle of theoretical saturation of the results from the sample group (internal validity;Coyne, 1997;Sandelowski, 1998). In fact, after the 41st story, we noted that subsequent stories did not shed any more light on the understanding of our research question. Nevertheless, to draw theoretically valid conclusions, it was necessary for our sample group to be adequately chosen to get an accurate representation of the reality (external validity). Of the 41 selected stories, 20 were written by Francophone Canadians and 21 by Anglophone Canadians, which means that the sample size of each group did not constitute a potential bias for the interpretation of our data. This equal ratio enables us to give more credibility to our conclusions because many studies showed that English-Canadians differ from French-Canadians on values, attitudes, perceptions and

products/brands’ evaluations (Chéron and Miller, 1993;Michon and Chebat, 2004). With

relatively equal sample sizes, we could avoid interpretation biases and examine similarities and differences between those two groups. In addition, 55 per cent of the selected stories came from women and 45 per cent from men.

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Data analysis

We used a thematic analysis of the content because it was most appropriate to the

objectives of our research (Neuendorf, 2004). To help us in our analysis, we used the

textual analysis software QDA Miner 3.2.3 – much used by qualitative researchers for its ability to easily produce quantitative tables of word and code frequency. We emphasize the literature, notably Holt’s typology, and we incorporate verbatim extracts to lend credibility to the conclusions of our study (Corden and Sainsbury, 2006).

Results

Classification protocol

We developed a structured classification protocol. We generated a group of secondary codes or sub-codes that accurately reflected the main ideas of the respondents. After this first exploratory step, 30 sub-codes were identified. Some sub-codes proved redundant and irrelevant. We, therefore, decided to either combine them with similar sub-codes or eliminate them, while being sure to not lose any information relevant to the study. For

example, at the first level of codification, happiness and joy constituted distinct

categories. After our analysis, we noted that they could be integrated under the same

theme calledpleasurebecause of many similarities they convey in their meanings. Also,

we have proceeded in the same way concerning theutilitariantheme. During the first

codification process, we created a category calledtaste experience, which appeared to be

identical in its content with categoriessmellandtaste during our analysis. To avoid

redundancy, those categories have been aggregated in the new suitable category

utilitarian, while the categorytaste experiencewas simply deleted because it did not provide additional information in comparison with the aggregated sub-codes. From this filtering process, 22 sub-codes were retained, which allowed us to reach a more limited set of 10 primary, or first-level codes, representing the underlying aspects of the

consumption experience. Table I captures the primary codes and their associated

sub-codes.

To better interpret the primary codes that emerged from the narrative analysis, we

grouped them according toHolt’s (1995)typology. The new aspects that we identified

supported the thesis that Holt’s typology is not exhaustive with regard to certain activities of consumption

Aspects of the overall consumption experience of Tim Hortons’ coffee

Experience. Inspired by the work of Hirschman and Holbrook (1982), Holt (1995)

demonstrates that the consumption process implies an experiential aspect that manifests in the search for pleasure and emotion. This aspect is primarily translated by the theme of “pleasure” such as illustrated in the code journal. In fact, the consumption

of Tim Hortons’ coffee evokeshappinessandjoyin its consumers. The coffee appears to

evoke moments of pure pleasure, enabling the individual to remain calm in the face of daily challenges (work, school, etc.):

They (Tim Hortons team) made every day better and I thank them for supporting us who are out there fighting.(Woman)

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Table I.

Primary codes and their associated sub-codes

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Tim Hortons is as much a part of our culture as plaid, dog sleds and poutine. It is a point of pride, something special, and for those of us living outside of our homeland, it’s something not to be taken for granted! (Man)

Play. Consuming is generally organized around a set of rules and rituals that allow individuals to make the consumption experience their own. The rules and rituals that Holt alludes to in his typology are relative to the manner in which consumption acts as a foundation vehicle for interpersonal interactions. For example, for some consumers, drinking Tim Hortons’ coffee is part of a routine that allows them to be in touch with their social environment (friends, colleagues, Tim Hortons’ staff, etc.).

Consumer narratives emphasized the centrality of the Tim Hortons brand during times of national unity, notably hockey games. Their stories also portrayed Tim Hortons’ coffee as a good-luck charm.

And each time, before going to the gym, we went to Tim’s to pick up the famous “Lucky Cup”; it became a family ritual. (Man)

As evidenced in the initial analysis, Holt’s typology can be used to understand the

symbolic meaning attached to today’s products of consumption, like coffee (Filser,

2002). That being said, Holt’s typology is not adequate when used to describe the overall consumption experience insofar, as it is possible to cause new symbolic aspects to emerge. To this effect, the analysis that we undertook with Tim Hortons’ coffee highlighted other important aspects.

Nostalgia.From an experiential perspective,Schindler and Holbrook (2003)show that some consumers demonstrate preferences or positive attitudes towards certain consumer objects that are familiar to them, from their childhood or their youth. This return to the past lets the individual preserve his or her identity in the face of major life

transitions, all while reducing feelings of anxiety or uncertainty (Kessous and Roux,

2008).

Through their stories, several consumers relate their current consumption of Tim Hortons’ coffee to childhood rituals that have stretched into adulthood. For these consumers, the Tim Hortons brand is eternal. This aspect is very interesting, as it could be used by the company to strengthen the feeling of attachment and brand loyalty (Sierra and McQuitty, 2007). Its mention in this study is significant because it constitutes a gold mine that Tim Hortons brand uses in its commercials. For example,

[…] a young father recalls childhood hockey games with his father, then he takes his daughter to Tim Hortons before her Saturday game. Visual imagery can be very powerful when evoking the idea of the power of tradition.[2]

Mystique. According to some authors, religion has lost its sacred power for consumption; an activity that is now a theatre of spiritual expression and the search for

meaning (Yeganehet al., 2010). From this angle,Gallarzaet al.(2009)emphasized the

fact that consumption has become the area where individuals express their desire to have magical and transformational experiences. In this study, this desire is seen via the image of a coffee that shapes individuals. For the most part, Tim Hortons’ coffee has

magicand spiritual virtues and when an individual comes in contact with it, they are filled with happiness and joy. This mystical element seems to create, cultivate and maintain itself through rituals of consumption. Tim Hortons’ coffee appears to be the

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anchor that unites two apparently opposing worlds: the natural and supernatural; the physical and the mystical. This spiritual aspect is illustrated in the following extract:

To this day, on every special occasion, and even not so special times, I will go visit her grave with my coffee, and chat with her as I loved to do before she joined Dad. (Woman)

Spatial. The spatial dimension is associated with travel and exploration. For the respondents, Tim Hortons’ coffee is the ideal travel companion. In a country with a vast geography, the presence of Tim Hortons in-service centres allows Canadians to travel more comfortably and in better humour.

This aspect is very interesting because it makes an important sales argument for the Tim Hortons corporation, which recently undertook the large operation of extending its retail distribution over the entire country. To position itself as the number one coffee brand on the road may give Tim Hortons a distinct advantage, as well as increase its awareness:

I have road tripped coast to coast across Canada 5 times over the last few years. Each time stopping at Timmies at least once a day (often 4-5 times a day). (Man)

Emulation.Emulation refers to Tim Hortons’ social involvement as sponsors of kids’ amateur hockey in Canada. In various narratives, respondents, having demonstrated a patriotic attachment to the brand, associate it with Canadian athletics at all levels. Tim Hortons is perceived as a proud Canadian brand, and through its actions, it encourages young Canadians to surpass themselves, to follow their dreams and to excel. Adopting such an approach can be a lucrative strategy for other companies in this industry, as it allows them to increase their brand communities. This strategy is heavily employed by Tim Hortons, which increased sales using a hockey star, Sydney Crosby, for instance. Being the spokesperson of the “Tim Hortons Timbits” minor hockey program, Sidney Crosby appears in all commercials, public relations and contests related to this Timbits program.

Conclusion

Discussion and contributions

This study investigated the overall consumption experience, and paid particular attention to the process of appropriation and the emotional aspects. Tim Hortons’ coffee, as represented in consumer narratives, was the object of the study. Holt’s typology was used as the theoretical framework to determine the consumer experience. From the narratives, the individuals in the sample group predominantly associated the consumption of coffee with the following: ritual (9.3 per cent, in 17 examples); happiness (8.2 per cent, 15 examples); joy (8.2 per cent, 15 examples); and travel companion and extended relationship (7.7 per cent, 14 examples). These categories relate, respectively, to the following aspects: mystique (ritual); pleasure (happiness and joy); travel (travel companion); and love (family-like relationship) (Table II).

From academic and business standpoints, this study made some interesting contributions. On an academic level, the study showed that it is possible for today’s consumer products to become symbolic representations in the minds of consumers, provided that the consumer has a strong attachment to the brand. In addition, the new aspects that we identified offer interesting avenues that are easily applicable to other consumer activities. Truly, to maintain a strong market position, it is no longer sufficient to know the associations linked to the overall experience of a product’s

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consumption. In addition to the various associations related to product consumption, the company must also have ways of accessing or appropriating the consumer experience. This forward-thinking process of consumption justifies itself by the very heterogeneity of today’s consumers – shared between multiple “selves”, in the face of their many demands – and ways of satisfying them. The appropriation of the consumption experience can also be predicted, contingent on the intensity with which the experience

is lived and the environmental context that underlies its production (Reed, 2004).

According toGoffman’s (1959)theatric perspective, consumption activities should be

created on the pretence of favouring total appropriation by the consumer. In the scope of this study, pretence is defined as the set of situations and contexts that prevail over the consumption of the experience produced and lived by the Tim Hortons’ coffee consumer. Consumption contexts influence the consumption experiences of Tim Hortons’ coffee drinkers.

Furthermore, in line with the benefits of ethnography described earlier, the methodologically ethnographic (netnographic) approach to this research may be argued to have delivered some rich insights into the attitudes and behaviour of those consumers who were positively engaged with this product – Tim Hortons coffee-shops. Such a methodological approach may therefore be useful for other brand-owners or organizations to help them understand the customers and other stakeholders who are strongly enough engaged in either a positive or negative direction with that brand or

Table II.

Frequency of code distribution

Category Codes Frequency

Codes

per cent Cases

Cases

per cent Words

Words per cent

Love Addiction 7 3.8 5 12.2 181 1.9

Self-identification 3 1.6 3 7.3 98 1

Filial relationship 14 7.7 10 24.4 326 3.4

Mystique Magic 5 2.7 5 12.2 219 2.3

Ritual 17 9.3 12 29.3 492 5.1

Patriotism Pride 6 3.3 4 9.8 281 2.9

Patriotism 4 2.2 4 9.8 271 2.8

Pleasure Happiness 15 8.2 12 29.3 436 4.5

Joy 15 8.2 13 31.7 367 3.8

Comfort Confidence 3 1.6 2 4.9 89 0.9

Well-being 12 6.6 10 24.4 366 3.8

Drive 6 3.3 6 14.6 180 1.9

Hope 5 2.7 4 9.8 124 1.3

Socialization Friendship 9 4.9 5 12.2 225 2.3

Interactions 8 4.4 8 19.5 232 2.4

Intimate moments

7 3.8 6 14.6 250 2.6

Dating 9 4.9 9 22 683 7.10

Utilitarian Smell 2 1.1 2 4.9 43 0.4

Taste 6 3.3 5 12.2 109 1.1

Travel Travel companion

14 7.7 11 26.8 404 4.2

Nostalgia Memories 9 4.9 8 19.5 885 9.2

Emulation Victory 7 3.8 6 14.6 451 4.7

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organization, to comment on it in a public forum such as on a website (Kozinets, 2010;

O’Reilly et al., 2012). The quality and richness of the insights obtained in this study highlight the relevance of the qualitative approach as a method of investigation. Qualitative research has the advantage to favour an in-depth approach to understand some complex consumers’ experiences and extract from them some innovative strategies that can help companies to stand out significantly from their competitors. With the increasingly influence of experiential quest at the heart of contemporary consumption, companies find a great need to examine more closely and qualitatively the relationship that they have with their customers to offer them products and brands that

are closer to their expectations. As asserted by Gendron (2008, p. 130), qualitative

research is:

[…] a relevant and legitimate mode of inquiry. It can provide thick descriptions of new phenomena; it can develop or refine theories about [marketing] in action; and it can sensitize academics to the realities of practitioners and allow meaningful case studies to be developed for teaching purposes. Qualitative research may also help secure academia’s relationships with practitioners because the latter tend to relate to qualitative articles, perhaps in a more meaningful way than quantitative papers.

On a business level and to exploit the experiential aspect throughout the consumption experience, Tim Hortons could include, in its advertising, references to the ambience in its stores or the happiness shared by colleagues drinking Tim Hortons at their workplace. Capitalizing on the nostalgic aspect could be an avenue to exploit to optimize the intensity of the consumer’s experience, for instance through storytelling which refers to the ability of creating myths and legends, of articulating a romanticized story around the club that will be passed on from one generation to another and of crystallizing the emotional bond between the team and its fans (Kollet al., 2010;Megehee and Spake, 2012). In addition, the analysis of contexts revealed two primary modes of consuming Tim Hortons’ coffee: private and public. In the private mode, coffee is consumed as an intimate object easily bringing personal comfort to the consumer or to their closest social circle (family, children and close colleagues). Conversely, the public mode treats the coffee as a collectively shared object that is expected to join the consumer to a larger social world. These different modes could be used in strategic planning by the enterprise. In fact, the advertising strategy could be to capitalize on the public mode when the brand wants to position itself as one of things people will remember from a big event – a hockey game, for example.

Limitations and future research

Although this study made academic and business contributions, it also presented some limitations.

First, we privileged an exploratory approach which seems to have somewhat limited our conclusions. Quantitative approaches could be led in the framework of future research to confirm the conclusions reached in our study.

Second, considering the intensity and highly symbolic degree of the various consumption narratives, there is a good chance that our sample group be composed, for the most part, of passionate consumers who have had a long loyal relationship with the Tim Hortons brand. Collecting data via face-to-face interviews with diverse consumers about the brand (loyal, somewhat loyal, occasional, etc.) may create an avenue of future research with the purpose of validating, on the one hand, the conclusions of the present

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study, and on the other hand, to proceed with comparisons between groups on the basis of various identified aspects.

Third and in line with the previous point, we acknowledge that there is a danger of bias in our data, considering that we used the narratives that recorded the highest hits. However, by receiving the highest hits, these narratives represent a socially constructed reality which was validated by Tim Hortons’ fans themselves.

One of the important contributions of this study highlighted the example of the strong link that exists between Anglophone consumers and some dimensions of “patriotism”. A future study in this area may prove interesting with a view to empirically validate this conclusion that may, in the case where it could be confirmed, serve to elaborate a brand advertising strategy in English Canada. Similar studies could be undertaken in other countries with national brands which have a strong resonance among local consumers in the private and the public sphere: Starbucks in the USA, Tchibo in Germany, etc. A cross-cultural, comparative analysis could bring some interesting insights on the consumption experience of consumer products and how the respective brands could nurture the loyalty of their “fans”.

Finally, as we have discussed earlier, the netnographic approach used in this research has helped us deliver some rich insights into the attitudes and behaviour of consumers. Consequently, it could be useful for other brand-owners who wish to understand their customers and other stakeholders who are deeply engaged with that respective brand.

Notes

1. The Canadian equivalent of Starbucks.

2. Excerpt from the site: affaires.com, “Les leçons des mini-carottes”, Jordan Lebel, available at:

www.lesaffaires.com/archives/commerce/les-lecons-des-mini-carottes/499148 (accessed 6 June 2011).

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Abstract

Introduction

DOI10.1108/QMR-06-2012-0032

Literature review

Tim Hortons’

Methodology

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Results

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Table I.

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Conclusion

Tim Hortons’

Table II.

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Notes

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Tim Hortons’

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