thank you for correcting me on what fallacy i was addressing. it's been twenty years since i took logic and i knew i ought to find the right word for it, but it didn't seem to matter. i thought my poor example was quite witty in abusing the statistical presumption you were making, and i was quite willing to tie it to another of the list of mythical canadian entities.

your argument for the financial success as popularity is relatively sound. it is evidence of broad appeal and hence is representative of opinion. i accept that it sounds like a financially viable business and will even reinforce your argument by comparing it to thenumber of starbucks or mcdonald's restaurants in canada (which in both cases is close to 1200 stores). but if you need it argued as an outlet of culture making it popular, then why not show it statistically in our culture as opposed to number of stores? show me the analysis that says our mythos proudly portraying us as timmie's customers. count out the number of xmas carols about it. show me NFB cartoons about the Tim Horton's sweater i got in the mail. i'd accept statistical analysis of print media counting then number of coffee references that preferred timmie's versus other options. if you want to argue that it is our cultural reinforcement of it, then show evidence of it.

my hunch is that you're confusing TV commercials as cultural output.