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Reasonable Doubt​

In 2012 auto parts stores started taking a bite out of John Deere parts sales. Since parts and labor are the bread and butter of any successful John Deere dealership, I had to do something. I had to make farmers think twice, or have "reasonable doubt," about going to the arguably more convenient Napas and AutoZones for ag parts. 

 

The first thing that came to mind was, "Cars and heavy ag equipment don't seem alike at all! I can't believe people would use auto parts in their tractors!" So I took that thought and developed a clean visual comparison paired with forward copy to make a powerful point. 

 

 

Print

Don't Risk It

In 2013, auto parts stores were not posing as large a threat to John Deere service bays, but they were still on the company's radar. With more time and budget, I was able to elaborate on the original "Reasonable Doubt" concept by asking, "What would it look like if cars and equipment were interchangeable?"

 

The answer was pretty silly. But pretty silly worked in our favor. By photographing cars in ag situations, and ag equipment in place of on-road vehicles, a fun and memorable concept that truly illustrated just how different the two vehicles are really came to life. 

John Deere Difference

Back when I started at John Deere, parts and service advertising was very commoditized. And no ad was complete without a starburst.

 

Because John Deere is a premium brand, we started thinking the retail approach wouldn't work with our customers. So we ignored the parts and advertised what truly made John Deere parts and service great — the dealers. 

 

 

John Deere Difference
Part Two

The John Deere Difference campaign was a hit, but when new marketing reps came in, they wanted to add commodity advertising back into the mix.

 

I was afraid this type of advertising wouldn't do much for John Deere's reputation, so I thought of a compromise. 

I combined the spirit of the John Deere Difference with the specifics of the products. With a cohesive message of support, I was able to execute a single campaign for all products without straying too far from the original message.  

 

 

When you work in advertising in the Midwest, ​you will inevitably work in ag. But that doesn't mean you can't be creative.

 

Below you'll find some examples of how I've made ag advertising interesting

— and even fun! Because print is still the number one info source for farmers, most of my ag campaigns come to life on the pages of farm pubs. 

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