John Deere recently launched a new Facebook campaign that goes well beyond simply getting consumers to “like” their brand page. Using a Facebook feature for brands, the campaign seeks to determine which John Deere products fans “want” or “own” — and then encourages them to share that information through the social network. The “Deere Season” Facebook app is designed to engage fans, to (hopefully) drive sales at local dealers, and possibly provide customer relationship management (CRM) and product development benefits.
The campaign centers around an app offered on John Deere’s Facebook page (over 1.1 million fans). The app features a different John Deere product each week, and then asks fans to fill in the blank: “I ____ John Deere (insert product name of the week).” Customers can express their interest in a product (or the fact that they already have one) and then share this information with Facebook friends. There’s also an option to fill in a description about why they want or already own the tractor.
For now, “want” or “own” are the only fill-in-the-blank options for the featured product, but other verb buttons will be added to the campaign, including “love” and “crave.” Brands have been able to add more ‘action verbs’ to their Facebook pages for a few months, but according to ClickZ, John Deere is one of the earliest major companies to test these engagement features.
Facebook friends that click on the link will be taken to the product page on JohnDeere.com, where they can check out the product for themselves or request a price quote.
John Deere marketing rep David Niederkorn told ClickZ that the app should also help drive local sales: “[It] will support John Deere dealers by inspiring new and existing customers to consider, explore, and perhaps purchase or upgrade existing equipment. ”
According to Niederkorn, the app also provides an opportunity to improve customer relationship management (CRM) and product development, as it “supports John Deere’s commitment to listening and responding to customer feedback,” and “fans will be able to share a wide range of testimonials and product feedback.”
The Facebook campaign is supported by Facebook ads that direct users to the app, and also by paid promotions on the site for seasonal specials.
How will this action-based Facebook campaign work for the brand? While it’s not as interactive as TippEx’s “Hunter and the Bear” campaign on YouTube, it does offer fans a fun way to engage with products, and gives the brand great exposure to its target audience by sharing these “fill-in-the-blanks” via each app user’s timeline.
