Gardening: It’s Not Your Mother’s Pastime

Kudos to Scotts Miracle-Gro. I’d read about the company’s new advertising campaign aimed at attracting new gardeners, but I hadn’t seen any of the TV commercials until last night. I was sitting on the couch checking e-mail with the TV on for background noise when the song, “You Sexy Thing” (I believe In Miracles) caught my attention. Without realizing it, I started tapping my foot (and singing along a little bit. I’m not too proud to admit it.) I looked up at the TV to see what was going on.

So, what was going on? An attractive Gen X couple (the casting was no accident, I’m sure) was gallivanting around their proliferously blooming front yard, laughing and smiling, thanks, of course, to Scotts Miracle-Gro.

The ad caught my attention. Unlike the company’s past advertisements, this one focuses on the end product – the enjoyment you get out of having a beautiful garden. It’s not so much geared toward the already avid gardener. This ad says, “See, gardening’s awesome, right? Why not try it?”

I know at least one person disagrees with me, though. I came across this article on Brand Week’s Web site. The anonymous writer had this to say about one of the commercials: “The casting, the car, the house and all the minor elements of the spot are a direct lift from the research and jammed into a 30-second spot—which is why it all feels so labored.”

The writer goes even further: “The line in the middle of the spot, ‘Time to feed your dreams,’ triggers a weedier problem for me. Aside from being a cliché, its timing is exceptionally poor. These days, for so many people, the American dream of homeownership is turning into a nightmare. Something about the contrived joy in this spot makes me imagine that maybe this couple's adjustable-rate mortgage just kicked in, they can't afford the payments anymore and now they're desperately trying to create curb appeal and sell the house before they go upside-down.”

Maybe this person is looking a little more deeply into the message than I am. Or maybe I’m just less of a cynic. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see if the ads do anything for Scotts, and in turn, for our industry.