John Deere brings customers and dealers from around the country by the bus and planeload to visit the factory, in some cases to see their new tractor being built… not A new tractor, THEIR new tractor, which they can start up and drive off the assembly line.

And as David noted, that indoctrination starts early. My children have John Deere books, toys and even a pedal tractor, because their grandfather and uncle use JD equipment. A friend’s son went as a farmer on a John Deere tractor for halloween, with a box hanging from straps painted like a tractor, again, to be like grandpa. I did the same thing a couple of decades ago, attaching the box to the front of my wheelchair, painted with official John Deere green paint purchased at the implement dealer.

They make an excellent tractor, but I think it’s the way they’ve cultivated the customer relationship that allows them to make a pretty penny off of toys and gifts. They’re not really picking up on Harley-Davidson’s model as much as just doing the same thing all along. While JD may have just made it to Fisherman’s Wharf, they’ve been selling toys and gifts for decades.

I wonder if the folks at Deere knew that 8 year old would one day make that purchase 30+ years later? I think they did.