Miracle-Gro says welcome to the ‘Pot-y’

Miracle-Gro is attempting to put down roots with millennials, running a new promotion inspired by the “plant parenthood” trend.

The plant food brand and its agency Rethink have launched a limited-edition line of hand-crafted “Pot-y Covers” for houseplants. Essentially onesie for your pansy, they come in a variety of colours and feature gardening-related puns like “My parents dig me,” “I soiled myself” and “I wet my plants.”

Miracle-Gro is making them available through an Instagram contest asking people to show photos of their potted plants using the hashtag #PotyCovers and tagging the brand. The program is being supported across its social channels.

“Rather than just offering tips on how to grow plants, we wanted to find a way to engage and fully celebrate the plant parent lifestyle that’s become so popular, said Rethink creative director Loretta Lau.

Millennials have been blamed for “killing” everything from cereal to golf over the years, but are being credited with helping the indoor gardening segment thrive.

According to Statistics Canada, sales of potted plants increased 2.3% to $853 million in 21019, with reports saying their popularity among millennials is a major factor in the segment’s growth.

In a release announcing the “Pot-y Covers,” Scott’s said that Pinterest searches for “interior garden” have increased 160% during the pandemic, while the hashtag #plantparenthood has amassed more than 1.1. million posts on Instagram.

“[P]lant parents are part of a proud and dedicated community who see themselves as actual parents and nurture their plants accordingly,” said the release.

The campaign marks another foray into the product space for Scott’s Miracle-Go, which last month introduced a new product for its lawncare brand Scott’s called “Lawndry detergent,” a household detergent that smelled like freshly cut grass.

Wavemaker is handling media for the campaign, with MSL responsible for community management.

Chris Powell