Tim Hortons is swallowing a double dose of public backlash after running, then pulling, behind-the-counter ads for natural gas giant Enbridge.
Enbridge started running in-store ads on Tims TV’s cross-Canada digital network as “reminders of how essential energy is to the quality of life we all expect – and how Enbridge is connecting people to extraordinary moments every day.”
The coffee chain promptly pulled the ads after SumOfUs.org collected 30,000 signatures on a petition demanding Tim Hortons stop running ads from the controversial pipeline pushers. As soon as news of the move broke, a flurry of Conservative politicians and pundits, including former Sun News Network loudmouth Ezra Levant, erupted in hashtag wars with a #boycottTims call of their own, complete with a petition warning that “Tim Hortons has declared war on Canada’s energy industry.” No word on how many signatories that petition’s amassed, but so far Tims seems to be sticking to its commitment to serve up Maple Dips without a dose of pipeline-friendly PR.
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