Instead of diluting cultural specificity for global appeal, Bell Media leaned into the authentic Canadian identity of 'Heated Rivalry'. Its success in China, the UK, and Australia proves that hyper-local, specific stories can resonate with international audiences more than generic, watered-down content.
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Instead of just running generic creative from national advertisers, 6AM City's team offers a white-glove service to rewrite and editorialize the copy with a local angle. They find that when they are allowed to tailor the message to their specific community readers, the ad's performance is almost guaranteed to be better than the original national version.
"Culture" is often used too broadly. Brands should focus on "Little C" culture by tapping into existing pillars like music or sports. "Big C" culture—macro societal shifts—is a rare feat achievable only by platform-level brands like TikTok.
While many US media companies view news as a burden, Bell Media leverages its local and national news divisions as a key strategic differentiator. Reaching 98% of Canadians monthly, news provides a level of daily relevance and a direct audience relationship that global platforms like Netflix cannot replicate.
Bell Media's president identifies agility as a key competitive advantage. With fewer layers of bureaucracy, the Canadian company can make faster greenlight decisions than its larger global counterparts, where projects can get stuck in a 'slow maybe.'
A $3-5M/episode drama from Canada's Crave streaming service became a global phenomenon, outshining $50M/episode Hollywood productions. This validates the independent media model for scripted television, where authentic, low-cost content can find massive global audiences.
While competitors chased other trends, Bell Media's team identified the romance category as undervalued and underrepresented in streaming. This strategic insight, based on 18 months of research, led them to actively seek out a romance project, which became their global hit 'Heated Rivalry'.
Countering the common Canadian anxiety over talent 'brain drain' to the US or UK, Bell Media's president states he doesn't care where creatives live. The focus is solely on collaborating with top Canadian talent, whether they are in Toronto or Los Angeles, effectively globalizing the talent pool.
When enabling Microsoft's international sales teams, ISVs must use localized use cases. A success story from the US market is less relatable and therefore less effective in regions like Denmark, where reps need examples that mirror their own customers' context and scale.
The success of the gay hockey romance "Heated Rivalry" was not accidental. Producers deliberately copied the "Bridgerton" formula: combining a racy script, an unknown cast, and a surprise setting. This strategy can be replicated to create viral hits in seemingly niche content areas and drive mainstream interest.
Bell Media funded its hit show alone after potential co-producers wanted to dilute its strong Canadian elements and reduce its explicit content. This calculated risk to maintain creative integrity was central to the show's authentic appeal and eventual success.