Up for grabs are 50 grand prizes of 2015 cars as well as 100 LG OLED Smart TVs, 25,000 $100 Tim Cards and millions of coffee and food prizes. Allowing U.S. social media fans to join the RRRoll Up the Rim conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Vine underscores how quick-service brands recognize that blending promotions with social is not just something extra, it is a necessity to engage players of all ages, especially younger customers.

“Our Roll Up Replay game is fully responsive,” said Peter Nowlan, chief marketing officer, Tim Hortons, Oakville, , Ontario. “Users have the option to play on their desktop, tablet or smartphone. This new online game provides another opportunity for our guests to keep rolling which runs from February 2 until April 7.”

Chances to win
Since 1986, RRRoll Up the Rim to Win has been a marketing strategy mainstay of Tim Hortons, which has nearly 4,600 systemwide restaurants, including 869 in the United States and 3,665 in Canada.

Mobile-optimized contest promotion. 

In the game, players first choose which Game Cup to play. Each cup has two RRRolls, giving the player two chances to win.

Participants can play up to five RRRoll Up Replay Game Cups at a time. Those who play all their Game Cups can earn a new Cup every hour, up to the maximum of five Game Cups.

Players collect badges and points that let them be invited to an extra day of play.

The more a participant plays RRRoll Up Replay, the more badges and points he or she will earn.

Earning 200,000 points qualifies a player for the extra day of play for a chance to win a car.

New this year, players can visit participating Tim Hortons locations to look for a special PIN code displayed on TimsTV and Digital Menu Screens.

Those who go online can enter the daily PIN code to check in, bringing them closer to the extra day of play.

Earning points for up to five Game Cups on the extra day of play on April 7 gives the player a chance to win a 2015 Toyota Camry, free coffee for a year and free any size hot beverage.

Tim Hortons has grown skillful at leveraging mobile to boost customer engagement.

In September, it offered ways for consumers to celebrate National Coffee Week, including a social media scavenger hunt for free gift cards across select cities in the United States.

The brand offered these incentives to celebrate National Coffee Week. It aimed to promote its new Dark Roast coffee blend, which launched in August.

In May, it launched scan-to-pay bar code technology that made grabbing a quick bite to eat mobile efficient.

In RRRoll Up the Rim, fans can view videos created by local improve comedy troupes, including Go Comedy from Detroit, MI; Defiant Monkey from Buffalo, NY, and Columbus Unscripted, Sassy Do and Hashtag Comedy all from Columbus, OH.

Winning odds
Tim Hortons says the odds of winning at least a coffee or a doughnut in RRRoll Up the Rim are one-in-six.

“This year on social media to kick off Roll Up season, Tim Hortons surprised the residents of Windsor, Nova Scotia, by transforming their town overnight into ‘Winner’, Nova Scotia,” Mr. Nowlan said.

Getting a shot at a new car.

“Windsorites awoke to find ‘Town of Winner’ signs on everything from the local arena and fire station, to stores along the main street. An event was held at Long Pond – considered to be the birthplace of hockey – where Windsorites enjoyed a free community celebration including Tim Hortons coffee and Timbits,” he said.

“A $10,000 donation was made to the town of Windsor to support the creation of an outdoor athletic center.”

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York