Australian seaweed plant tonic, Seasol, has launched a 10-part documentary series called ‘Dirty Old Secrets’, showcasing the buried wisdom of older gardeners in episodes like ‘Getting Your Citrus Together’ and ‘How to Grow Your Own Edibles’ to engage a new generation of customers.
Created by Howatson+Company and directed by Good Oil’s Connor Pritchard, ‘Dirty Old Secrets’ reveals older Australians’ gardening hacks, with the “snackable” garden advice voiced by hip hop artist L Fresh the Lion.
The indie agency’s chief creative officer Gavin Chimes told LBB the campaign cuts through social media noise to assert credibility among younger audiences.
“‘Dirty Old Secrets’ was designed to stand out in crowded social feeds by doing the one thing most influencers can’t: offering credibility built on decades of experience,” he said.
“The featured gardeners aren’t chasing likes, they’ve spent their lives in the soil, trialling and testing what really works – with Seasol at the heart of their success. That authenticity makes the content both entertaining and dependable.
The unexpected pairing of hip-hop and traditional gardening wisdom, Gavin explained, further disrupts expectations.
“Rather than treating gardening as a nostalgic pastime, we wanted to give it [a] cultural edge and fresh relevance for younger audiences scrolling their feeds,” he said.
“The gardeners themselves embraced the concept with humour and enthusiasm. They found the contrast fun and loved seeing their home‑grown knowledge reframed with swagger — it made them feel celebrated in a playful, modern way.”
Gavin added, when your customer base is ageing, there are two options: “fade away with them or create new relevance.”
“Ultimately, the campaign was created to make Seasol feel indispensable to both new and experienced gardeners,” he said.
“For first‑timers, the aim was to provide confidence: reassurance that success in the garden isn’t complicated if you have the right know‑how and the right product.
“By framing older generations’ wisdom in a fresh, shareable way, ‘Dirty Old Secrets’ shows that Seasol has always been at the heart of successful gardens, and continues to be the brand that can help anyone, regardless of experience, make their plants thrive.”
Head of marketing at Seasol, Greg Matheson, also noted the “surge” of younger Australians discovering gardening.
“But many are lacking the knowledge and gardening experience to help their plants truly thrive,” Greg said.
“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.”
Among the many hacks revealed, Gavin found that the simplest were the most surprising, “like remembering to dust your indoor plants or watering your lawn long and deep, not just giving it a spritz.”
The campaign follows Howatson’s work for Seasol parent company Yates, which launched last week,tapping into the competitive nature of lawn owners to create the National Gardening League (NGL).
All episodes of the new docu-series can be viewed at DirtyOldSecrets.com, as well as on Seasol’s social pages. The campaign will be promoted through a trailer across socials and streaming, as well as in OOH.
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