Case Study: Nothing Runs Like a Deere (on Social Media)

John Deere (Deere & Co.), the world's leading manufacturer of farm equipment painted in that trademark bright green, has been inspiring unshakable brand loyalty since it was founded in 1837. Wherever two or more John Deere fans meet you can safely figure that an instant bond will be formed and a conversation will ensue, often at length and with great passion. Naturally, with the rapid rise of Web 2.0 technologies, John Deere found itself a little unprepared for the impacts of the social media revolution upon its brand. Like many organizations, it didn't take conversations in the Twitterspace or on Facebook especially seriously.

By mid-2008, however, there were already 500 Facebook groups dedicated to John Deere. All of them were created by fans and others within the enthusiast community. None of them were created with the oversight or permission of corporate headquarters. The top 10 John Deere Facebook groups contained over 10,000 members. One of those groups was named, "John Deere Sucks!!". To make matters even more uncomfortable for Deere & Co., it's primary competitor for industrial machinery sales, Caterpillar, was an early adopter of social networking and ranked among the top 10 corporations with an established Facebook community.

The potential for both hazard and opportunity for John Deere was high and could quickly be summed up like this:

• In the vacuum created by the absence of Deere & Co. from the social media conversation, others had taken control of the John Deere brand and would continue to do so - for better or for worse.
• The speed and scale at which John Deere fans mobilized within the social network was solid confirmation of the brand's relevance and strength.
• That kind of mobilization provides powerful leverage to both users and competitors to shape or reshape the identity and brand of the company within the community.
• Negative publicity driven from the "John Deere Sucks!!" group would necessarily rank high among search engines if not engaged or countered by the company.

Fortunately, Deere & Co. recognized both the opportunities and threats contained within its already powerful and mobilized community and joined the conversation, first - by listening to what the community was saying and, then, by engaging its fans within their own groups and with its own official Facebook pages and groups.

To its credit, the fast recovery by Deere & Co. earned its Facebook page over 1,000,000 fans by February, 2012.