TIM HORTONS

Scope of work:

  • Social media campaign proposal to introduce Tim Hortons to Malaysia, followed by post-launch social media sustenance content.
  • Lead of a collaboration between Tim Hortons & local artist Lakar By Mekar, which produced exclusive handpainted murals & merch.
  • Live social media coverage for the launch week, spanning 4 days.
Three hands clinking Tim Hortons coffee cups in a cheers — a latte, a black coffee, and an espresso

Ice Hockey Meets Iced Kopi

The beloved Canadian coffeehouse, Tim Hortons, appointed my team to help them paint the town red with the launch of its first two outlets in Malaysia. My role was to propose a locally-relevant social media campaign that is true to the brand and win the hearts of Malaysians from the very first sip.

But let’s be real for a moment—Tim Hortons is a Western brand stepping into an increasingly diverse brandscape. Amid shifting social and cultural conversations, we could all use a reminder of what makes Malaysians some of the warmest people in the world.

What if there’s a way to thoughtfully adapt Tim Hortons to Malaysian taste buds while staying true to its roots?

Campaign Idea

I proposed an approach that humanizes the brand, makes it relevant to local sensibilities, sparks excitement, and establishes Tim Hortons’ unique voice in Malaysia.

The idea is simple: Tim Hortons in Malaysia isn’t just warm—it’s wholesome, fun, and made to feel right at home.

To express that, I conceptualized a campaign where the brand is personified with a local friendly face and teased the Malaysian audience to discover,

“Mana Tim?”

Campaign Ingredients

Schoolchildren waving Malaysian flags — symbol of local relevance

A brand personified, a friendly face for locals to associate with the brand

Friends laughing together over food

Local flavours for the brand, from literal flavours to its behaviour

Group of friends looking at a phone, sharing a moment

Get Malaysians talking about this new brand.

Key Visuals

Note on March, 2025: Some of the following visuals were created during the pitch and have not been produced at the time of writing. Some images may contain 3rd-party artwork for pitch illustration purposes only. All rights belong to the original owners.

As a part of a larger “Mana Tim?” campaign with physical activation potential, I proposed to kickstart the launch campaign on social media with a playful, interactive twist.

Inspired by the classic “Where’s Waldo?”, I introduced “Tim”—an illustrated localized persona (based on a selected KOL) navigating a vibrant, illustrated KL city. The goal? Get audiences engaged in the hunt for Tim, leading them to discover real-life Tim Hortons outlets along the way.

Tim Hortons Malaysia can spark organic conversations with users as they engage with the campaign content. This is where we will activate our warm, fun, and wholesome brand personality—brought to life by our social media admins.

To deepen local appeal, I also incuded a collaboration component involving Malaysian visual artist KOLs, adding an authentic touch while celebrating the nation’s unique artistic talent. It’s not just a game—it’s a community-driven experience that puts Tim Hortons on our jalan-jalan in more ways than one.

Tim Hortons campaign key visual 1
Tim Hortons campaign key visual 2

Sample Campaign Grid

A sample Instagram grid mockup for Tim Hortons Malaysia featuring the Mana Tim? campaign

Proposed “Tim”
(Local Tim Hortons persona)

I proposed collaborating with a KOL like Khairul Aming to bring “Tim” to life—a localized persona for Tim Hortons. My idea was to create a teaser video series, where Tim casually sports Tim Hortons merchandise near upcoming store locations (like Nu Sentral) and subtly drops hints for viewers.

To take “Mana Tim?” beyond the screen, I suggested an on-ground challenge—spot Tim, strike up a conversation, and win a free voucher! Each video would end with a short, engaging CTA to keep the excitement brewing and build anticipation for the official launch.

A TikTok mockup showing the proposed 'Tim' persona — Khairul Aming wearing a Tim Hortons cap and apron

Tim Hortons Malaysia X Lakar By Mekar

I proposed bringing Tim Hortons’ warm, friendly, and distinctly Canadian coffeehouse experience to Malaysia through 2 Canada-meets-Malaysia Coffeehouse themed mural in their first 2 outlets.

To bring this vision to life, we partnered with Nor Asyikin aka Lakar By Mekar, a well-known Malaysian mural artist. I coordinated the mural painting process and kept the entire process on track from end to end.

Beyond the wall murals, we adapted the art pieces for various limited edition merch, which was exclusive to the launch. 300 gift boxes were produced and given to KOLs and the first few attendees of the store opening.

Lakar By Mekar mural at Tim Hortons Malaysia — Canada-meets-Malaysia coffeehouse theme
A second view of the Tim Hortons x Lakar By Mekar mural
A tall composition photo of the mural and merch produced for the launch

My responsibilities

  • Creative and Art Direction
  • Copy and Script Writing
  • Project Management
  • Graphic Design
  • Social Media Content Creation

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