Drugs for Plants: A Tree Pleads in Brooklyn

There’s a new “drug” on the market that might just be the key to greener thumbs and happier plants. Drugs for Plants is a seaweed-based fertilizer for houseplants of all types. Created by Major, a NYC-based creative agency, the nutrient-rich and water-soluble seaweed powder is easily absorbed by plants, improves soil health and plant resilience, and is safe and non-toxic. Just a little dash in a cup of water every two weeks is all that is needed to keep plants healthy…and alive.

Major co-founders/creative directors Andrew Fatato and Dave Haller came up with the idea for Drugs for Plants during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“The number of plants living, and dying, in our apartments went through the roof during the pandemic,” said Fatato. “My apartment was the scene of a horticultural massacre. Dave had a much greener thumb. But both of us had to quickly become minor plant experts to keep our plants alive.”

Knowing they were not alone, Fatato and Haller decided to bring their passion for plantcare to a sleepy category that’s been running on autopilot. Drugs for Plants is a natural alternative to mainstream labels that sell commoditized, chemical-heavy fertilizers.

It was also important for Drugs for Plants to have its own unique brand and point of view that would appeal to the target audience, Millennials, who have been buying plants like crazy yet stumbling through their care. The minimalist packaging design and humorous, tongue-in-cheek messaging (“Give Your Plants Their Fix”) provides a refreshing jolt of energy to a stale category and makes owning plants fun again.

To raise awareness of the product, which will be sold online, Major created an ad campaign that includes social and streaming video ads, and an experiential stunt featuring screaming plants in Brooklyn’s McCarren Park. Outdoor billboards are expected to appear later in the fall around the city.

For the video spots, Fatato and Haller listened closely to the pleading cries of their malnourished plant babies, absorbing and internalizing their quiet agony such that they could accurately direct VO talent to read with the closest approximation of yearning. Then they rolled camera and the rest is history.

For the experiential, the team amplified the inner cries of the plants in McCarren Park, making it impossible for passersby to not stop and provide sweet relief to the city's horticultural sistren and brethren. A green, Drugs for Plants watering can awaited them on the ground, along with a sign that read “Feed me.” And so, the plants were fed.

Haller said: “With this campaign, our main goal is awareness – both of the product, but also of the silent screams of our plant babies and what you can do to quiet those screams by satiating their nutritional needs.”

More information about Drugs for Plants can be found online and on Instagram.