The CMO Podcast — Hope Bagozzi (Tim Hortons) | The Magic of Canada’s Favorite Brand

Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Jim Stengel
Guest: Hope Bagozzi, CMO of Tim Hortons

Episode Overview

This episode explores the enduring relevance and “magic” of Tim Hortons, an iconic Canadian brand, through the insights of Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer. Jim and Hope delve into how Tim Hortons continually fosters emotional connections, sustains growth, and fuels purposeful work for its people, all while navigating business turbulence and evolving to stay fresh and relevant. Hope shares stories and philosophy on team leadership, brand building, the importance of foundational products, creativity, and staying true to personal values.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Hope’s Personal Connection to Brand and Holidays

• Opening personal touch: Hope describes her family’s holiday plans as rooted in tradition, community, and chaos “in the best possible way.”
  [05:32]
• On Tim Hortons’ holiday initiatives: "Holiday Smile Cookie... is a lovely ability to help new charities and causes. And half the money goes to those new groups and half goes to our own Tim Hortons Foundation."
  [06:26]

Tim Hortons and the Power of Purposeful Brand Building

• Why Holidays Matter for the Business: Holidays are significant not only for sales but for positive brand association and giving back:

  “It’s a great way to finish the year strong... What a perfect way to finish the year strong with giving back, probably at the time when it’s needed most, it’s most appreciated.”
  Hope, [06:26]

• Customer Mix: The brand sees broad, “ubiquitous” appeal—children, families, businesspeople—and holiday menus continue that broad reach.
  [07:44]
• Innovation in Offerings: "This holiday, there’s a different partnership… a partner we’ve never had before in terms of a flavor collaboration… and a PM meal opportunity where there’s a gift with purchase."
  Hope, [08:30]

Sustained, Strategic Growth

• Record Performance: 17 consecutive quarters of comparable sales growth—remarkable for a large, established brand. [09:03]
• Team Vibe:

  “Just when you think each year you can’t possibly top it, then the next year comes and we do… It’s special...They feel privileged to work for a brand that gives back so much.”
  Hope, [09:33]

Cultural Practices Driving Success

• Relentlessly Raising the Bar:

  “Having the discipline to do post program analyses… learning what went really well, what would we want to do differently or better next time... having a pipeline of ideas, flavors, partnerships… So when we’re putting things in market, we’re not guessing that they’ll be successful, but they just will.”
  Hope, [11:18]

• Foundations Before Innovation:

  “Sustainable growth is not built on constant promotions but on a solid foundation… So for Tim’s, that would have been brewed coffee, donuts, breakfast. That was the core… you couldn’t… move to those things without a solid core.”
  Hope, [12:36]

  • Famous philosophy: “Putting the apples back in the apple fritter.” (making sure genuine ingredients are in iconic products)
    Hope, [12:36]

Creativity, Risk, and The Canadian Dream

• Values-Led Experimentation:

  “If you’re doing things authentically, if you’re doing enough of your research… you go in eyes wide open… anything that you do that’s worth doing will always have a little bit of risk. It’s more how you mitigate and manage for that, prepare for it. But don’t let it paralyze you.”
  Hope, [20:27]

• Memorable moments:
  • Fresh Cracked Eggs product overhaul, and the rollout of Holiday Smile Cookie—milestones of meaningful owner alignment and positive change.
    [22:07]
• Toughest challenge: Navigating COVID, tariffs, and macroeconomic turbulence, while keeping franchisees engaged and resilient.

  “It never feels like we’ve had a stable year without some form of business disruption… It's given us all greater resolve and built tenacity and resilience in all of us.”
  Hope, [24:46]

Team Management, Culture, and Community

• How Hope leads: Through proximity, frequent check-ins, team events (including at Tim Hortons camps), and a culture of shared objectives.

  “Our objectives between the departments are shared… staying in touch… vent, have some fun, appreciate each other. We try to do that as often as we can.”
  Hope, [25:06]

• The Role of Tim Hortons Camps:

  • Long-standing CSR initiative providing transformative experiences for youth—“part of Tim’s DNA from the very early days.”
    Hope, [26:53]
  • Team-building events held at camps foster bonding and cross-team understanding.

Creativity in Marketing Leadership

• Hope’s approach: Blending agency (creative) and client (analytical) perspectives, finding inspiration in the creative process, and always tying creativity back to tangible business objectives.
  [30:17]

• Favorite Campaign: A retail campaign centered around a popular Canadian song, “Patio Lanterns”—a project weaving together nostalgia, music, and retail storytelling.
  [31:49]

• “The Canadian Dream” campaign:

  “It came about... I literally did have a dream... my dream was about sort of saying when Canadians are at our best, what are those values?... we share a lot of the same values that the country does... we have a role as a leader to probably step up and have a voice here and have a bit of rallying and a bit of pride.”
  Hope, [33:04]

Leadership Journey: From New Zealand to Tim Hortons

• First post-college job: Executive recruiter in New Zealand, then discovering a passion for marketing by placing executives in marketing roles.

  “That was sort of really how I fell in love with agencies, marketing roles…”
  Hope, [36:02]

• Tenure at McDonald’s Canada:

  • Drawn by McDonald’s global approach, great people, and constant opportunity.
    [39:37]

Personal Brand, Advice, and Self-Reflection

• Developing Presence:

  “Always be true to you... Be really self reflective of, you know, what your brand is, what you stand for. And I think that... as a leader, I’ve made a conscious choice to say even if I’m up at night, I’m not going to come in and show my team that.”
  Hope, [44:30]

• On self-reflection: Meditation, barre classes, piano, solo travel, and periods of downtime are cited as practices that boost self-awareness and help her coach the team to do the same.
  [46:30]

• Biggest personal growth at Tim’s:

  “I think I probably am getting more patient over time... I realize everything doesn’t have to come at once. Some things might always be on the back burner, and that’s okay.”
  Hope, [47:34]

Brand Memories and Influences

• Early influences: Crown Royal and Barbie—recognizing the power of packaging, design, and brand authenticity, even as a child.
  [48:15]
• Biggest inspiration: Her grandmother—admired for tenacity, resilience, and a “brand” presence even as a homemaker.
  [49:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A delicious way to give back.”
  Hope on the Holiday Smile Cookie, [07:33]
• “Sustainable growth is not built on constant promotions but on a solid foundation.”
  Jim, quoting Hope, [12:12]
• “Putting the apples back in the apple fritter.”
  Hope on product authenticity, [12:36]
• “I try not to bring that [positive anxiety] to work and not to show that to the team… the duck analogy, you know, serene and calm above the water and the webbed feet are flapping below the surface.”
  Hope, [18:05]
• “If you’re doing things authentically… don’t let it paralyze you.”
  Hope, on handling attention and risk, [20:27]
• “We love all my children equally.”
  Hope, on favorite holiday menu items, [44:22]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [05:32] - Hope’s holiday family tradition
• [06:26] - Holiday promotions, Smile Cookie’s impact
• [09:03] - 17 Quarters of Growth and the “fun” of the current era
• [11:18] - Culture of continuous improvement, “post program analyses”
• [12:36] - Building and protecting the brand’s core
• [18:05] - Feeling the weight of CMO responsibility (“positive anxiety”)
• [20:27] - Approach to experimentation and public scrutiny
• [22:07] - Prideful moments: Fresh Cracked Eggs, Smile Cookie
• [24:46] - Navigating disruption: COVID, tariffs, macro turbulence
• [25:06] - Team culture and use of Tim Hortons camps
• [33:04] - “The Canadian Dream” ad campaign
• [35:03] - Internal and consumer response to Canadian Dream
• [44:30] - Advice on authenticity and personal leadership brand
• [47:34] - Personal growth in patience as a leader
• [48:15] - Early brand influences (Crown Royal, Barbie)
• [49:55] - Most inspiring person: Her grandmother

The Episode in a Nutshell

This deep-dive reveals how Tim Hortons blends an unshakable core (coffee, donuts, breakfast) with community spirit, authentic innovation, and a strong commitment to team culture and personal leadership. Hope’s style is rooted in humility, self-awareness, and an appreciation for the power of thoughtful, incremental change. The episode is rich with anecdotes, leadership lessons, and reminders of why Canada holds Tim Hortons so dear—especially during the holidays.

For more, watch this episode on YouTube or subscribe on your favorite podcast app for future conversations with world-class marketing leaders.