Old world. New blood. Bad Blood Season 2
For the sophomore season of Citytv’s acclaimed organized crime drama Bad Blood, the creative strategy required an elevated, cinematic brand evolution. To captivate audiences and deepen the fan base, the campaign leaned heavily into the series' core themes of power, loyalty, and familial betrayal; juxtaposing the old-world traditions of the Italian mafia against the gritty landscape of modern Canadian organized crime.
To surpass the visual benchmark set by the inaugural season, the campaign demanded a more sophisticated, high-impact aesthetic. Every piece of key art was engineered to feel like a premium, peak-TV drama, immediately signaling a darker, higher-stakes storyline to both loyal viewers and new audiences.
The distinct visual environment was built entirely from scratch in post-production. While the final campaign depicts the cast isolated against a dark, nocturnal city skyline behind towering high-rise windows, the entire ensemble was shot on a white seamless background. I art-directed the studio sessions; meticulously styling props, managing wardrobe selections influenced by the show's production design, and capturing lead actor Kim Coates in a custom-staged setup to anchor the composite layouts.
Anchored by the striking composite key art, the high-impact out-of-home (OOH) and social media campaign rolled out across the GTA and key national markets. The targeted creative execution successfully disrupted the crowded media landscape, exceeding all network rating estimates and driving record tune-in across broadcast, digital, and on-demand platforms.
