Seasol digs up ‘Dirty Old Secrets’ via Howatson+Company
Dirty Old Secrets
Plant tonic brand Seasol has rolled out a documentary series and accompanying campaign — “Dirty Old Secrets” — to share time-tested gardening tips with a new generation.
Developed with creative agency Howatson+Company, the documentary series is the core component of a campaign designed to bridge knowledge gaps in gardening between younger and older generations, leveraging humour to increase the platform’s memorability.
There are 10 short films in the series, all directed by Connor Pritchard of production company Good Oil.
Australian hip hop artist L Fresh the Lion provides voiceovers. The contrast between gardening content and a hip hop voice was intentional.
Howatson+Company’s chief creative officer Gavin Chimes explained that L Fresh was selected for his tone.
“We didn’t chose L-fresh because he’s a hip hop artist, but rather because his voice possessed a tonal quality and pace that felt right for the episodes,” Chimes said in an email sent to Mumbrella.
Each film focuses on a different gardener sharing their “hacks” on a range of topics, including growing citrus fruits, eliminating pests, and maintaining a healthy lawn.
Howatson+Company worked with casting agency Citizen Jane and Good Oil to find the gardeners, sourcing them from community groups, by word of mouth and through gardening clubs.
“We’re seeing a surge in younger Australians discovering the joy of gardening, but many are lacking the knowledge and gardening experience to help their plants truly thrive,” Greg Matheson, head of marketing at Seasol, said in a media release.
“Meanwhile, older generations have decades of proven expertise, often with Seasol at the heart of their success. With Dirty Old Secrets, we’re ensuring that invaluable wisdom is preserved and passed on, while cementing Seasol’s role as a trusted partner for every gardener.”
According to Chimes, the documentary, as a medium, was chosen due to its ability to spotlight “the eccentricity and humour” of the talent in an “authentic, immersive and binge-friendly” way for modern audiences.
The notion that newer generations have become interested in gardening served as the focal point for the agency’s research. Once the concept for the platform was decided upon, the team “tested it with older and younger consumers, and the reception was overwhelmingly positive”.
From there, Howatson+Company went through casting, scripting and filming for the series’ films. In addition to the films, the agency created social assets for Tiktok.
Dirty Old Secrets billboard
But the project didn’t come without its challenges. Chiefly, finding the balance between humour and honouring the talent and their expertise.
“The biggest challenge was also our biggest opportunity: finding a way to playfully share the dirty secrets of our older gardeners in a way that celebrated them, never teased,” Chimes said.
“This, we knew would make the campaign magical, but we had to find the perfect balance of authenticity and humour.”
In a media release, he added: “When your most loyal consumers are ageing, you have two options: fade away with them or create new relevance. Dirty Old Secrets takes what quietly happens in the best backyards in the country and makes it loud, bold and impossible to miss.”
The documentary is available at DirtyOldSecrets.com, and on Seasol’s Instagram and Tiktok pages. Meanwhile, the campaign is running via a trailer through streaming and social channels, in addition to influencer, PR and out of home work.
Howatson+Company has been leaning on gardening of late. Last week, the agency launched a campaign for garden product manufacturer, Yates, that features an AI-powered competition to see who has the best lawn in the country.
CREDITS:
Brand: Seasol
Group Capability Director Brand and Digital, DuluxGroup: Antoinette Tyrell
Head of Marketing: Greg Matheson
Brand Manager: Taryn Splatt
Assistant Marketing Manager: Sue Edwards
Marketing Communications Specialist: Jade BraveryAgency: Howatson+Company
Group Managing Director: Renee Hyde
Client Partner: Sophie Sykes
Business Director: Sophie Grierson
Chief Strategy Officer: Dom Hickey
Executive Planning Director: Georgia Pritchard
Senior Planner: Jade Hickey
Chief Creative Officer: Gavin Chimes
Executive Creative Director: Jeremy Hogg
Creative Director: Simon Friedlander
Senior Copywriter: Katy Hulton
Senior Art Director: Elly Pipiciello
Chief Design Officer: Ellena Mills
Design Director: Trent Michael
Designer: Harry Chambers, Gabriella Dudman, Henry Leng, Jason Nguyen
Group Head of Digital: Anna Boucaut
Digital Producer: Grace Bruty
Senior Experience Designer: Chloe Schumacher
Studio Lead: Simon Merrifield
Finished Artist: Patrick Rivera
Head of Production: Holly Alexander
Senior Producer: Caitlin Perz
Videographer (social): Mark Broome
Photographer: Marta Bacardi
Head of Post Production: King Yong
Editor (social): Mark Broome
Head of PR: Ben Handberg
PR Senior Account Director: Michael Rossiter
PR Senior Account Executive: Grace Powers
Vocalist: Simon Friedlander
Senior Lead – Sound & Music: Shane VancuylenbergProduction Company: Good Oil
Director: Connor Pritchard
Executive Producer: Juliet Bishop
Producer: Ellie Craven
DoP: Deven Narsai
Production Design: Imogen Walsh
Art Director: Ed WhitfieldMedia Agency: Team Inspire, IPG Mediabrands
Group Business Director: Mark Dawson
Client Director: Tase Jaycobs Stefkov
National Head of Strategy: Ali Coysh
Strategy & Comms Design Director: Lauren Corner
Related Content
SUBSCRIBE
Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.
My brother and his partner bought a house a few years ago and after a little while the tree in their courtyard started to decline.
Panicking they got a gardener to come around and look at it. The gardener looked at it and said things would be alright, it just needed some Seasol.
Misunderstanding him, my brother went to the kitchen and came back with some sea salt from the kitchen. The gardener was understandably confused as he was handed a container of sea salt for the tree.
Oh how we laughed upon hearing this story. Don’t forget the sea salt!