Who: Arterra Wines Canada, with Bell Media and PHD.

What: A new unscripted short-form video series called The Stranger Experiment.

When & Where: Each of the three 20-minute episodes can be viewed on the TV or online version of Bell’s Crave service. Bell is promoting the series on its owned and operated channels across broadcast, digital, out-of-home and social, with paid amplification through Facebook and Instagram.

Why: The Bodacious brand strategy is inspired by the name itself. “It really is about celebrating and elevating what makes Canadians bodacious,” said Wendy Montgomery, Arterra’s vice-president of marketing. The brand describes Bodacious people are those who are authentic and true to themselves. “It’s when people let their true selves be seen and heard,” said Montgomery.

Last summer, as the Arterra team was working on strategy for the brand in the midst of the pandemic, they started to talk a lot about the importance of human connections and how they fit with the brand. “When Bell came to us with this idea of a streaming mini-series that highlighted the power of human connection. It just seemed like such a natural fit for where we were going with the Bodacious brand,” she said.

How: Produced by Bell Media Studios, The Stranger Experiment brings together strangers with “polar opposite personalities”—including a nudist and a fashion stylist; an opera singer and the frontman of a metal band; a paranormal skeptic and a psychic medium. They answer questions about themselves to see if they can “find common ground over a glass of wine.”

“Opportunities like this allow us to be part of Canadians’ conversations,” said Montgomery. “To be brought into their homes in a different way—not as an interrupter, but as a source of entertainment and content. And it just makes that relationship deeper.”

It is the second time Bell has created content marketing for Arterra in the past year, following last fall’s Love in 60 series for the Naked Grape brand. “Bell has just repeatedly come to the table with unique and interesting opportunities for us to partner with them on different brands,” said Montgomery.

And we quote: “The pandemic has demonstrated how important human connections are. We’re thrilled to partner with Bodacious Wines to deliver a short escape for Crave subscribers, and bring two premium brands together via this unique and entertaining initiative.” — Perry MacDonald, vice-president, advertising sales and partnerships, Bell Media