Tim Hortons and the Goblet of Fire

Tim Hortons' Harry Potter promotion is guaranteed to generate more than revenue.

Full disclosure: I'm a Harry Potter fan.

I've read the books.

I've seen the movies, multiple times.

I personally enjoyed the stories over the years.

When I saw the line-up Tim Hortons is planning to introduce, my immediate thought was "Those donuts look delicious!"

When I saw everything Tim Hortons was planning as part of it's upcoming promotion, the marketer in me immediately thought "They're definitely all-in on this promo!"

But there's a lot of controversy around Harry Potter these days.

Specifically, whether the world should still be supporting Harry in light of what many see as transphobic comments and actions by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowlings...

... and LGBTQ+ advocates were very quick to condemn Tim Horton's on social media, which was quickly picked up by news outlets.

(Egale Canada, Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI people and issues, issues an official response to the promotion, and it's exactly what you would expect it to be.)

In my classes, I teach that great brands are polarizing, and that you will never (ever) find a truly great brand that appeals to everybody.

So any partnership or collaboration is going to have its critics.

But... why Harry?

And why now?

The answer to the second question is straightforward: to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the initial publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", all eight original films are returning to theatres from August 27 to September 3.

(And the first film will apparently feature 10 to 12 minutes of exclusive, never-before-seen behind-the-scenes bonus footage during this limited run.)

The Tim Hortons promotion begins on August 12th, so Harry Potter fans can will be able to stop by their local Tim's for a magical donut on their way to the theatre.

But is the 25th anniversary reason enough to court such controversy?

Or is inserting itself into such controversy the point, a play for attention and renewed relevance in advance of a strong competitor (Dunkin'​) announcing a return to the Canadian market?

(If it's the latter, Tim Hortons may have made a major miscalculation: the Gen Alpha audience Tim Hortons is hoping to attract to its restaurants, despite the fact that Dunkin' appeals to them more, is the same audience most likely to embrace inclusivity as a value. And this promotion is clearly not seen as inclusive.)

Tim Hortons surely believes its collaboration with Harry Potter will be a magical time.

But I believe Tim Hortons has served themselves a Goblet of Fire.