John Deere’s Iconic ‘Nothing Runs Like A Deere’ Slogan Almost Never Happened

A John Deere Tractor Towing A Trailer

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One of the critical ingredients to a successful and lasting business is branding, which is when marketing elements like logos and taglines are implemented to differentiate a company from its competitors. Think of unforgettable ad campaigns “Like A Rock,” Nike’s “Just Do It,” and Wheaties cereal’s “Breakfast Of Champions.” These simple phrases offer a company the ability to connect with customers and quickly define what they’re about, creating a brand identity.

Another great slogan that’s hard to forget, “Nothing Runs Like A Deere,” has been cemented into the consumer consciousness for decades and is synonymous with the John Deere brand. Launched in 1837 by the man himself, Deere remained at the company’s helm until his death in 1886. The man behind the world’s most famous tractors, John Deere, was known in the 19^th century for producing plows, but the company evolved over more than a century, producing tractors, lawnmowers, UTVs and a host of other useful John Deere products that aren’t tractors. However, without a desperate effort on the part of an ad agency copywriter to retrieve some discarded ideas out of the garbage, that legendary slogan wouldn’t exist today.

John Deere’s famous tagline was originally rejected and tossed into the trash bin

The John Deere logo

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The famous company slogans that you hear on the radio, see in television commercials, and catch a glimpse of on billboards are often the result of advertising copywriters. Copywriters for advertising agencies face a fair bit of stress, with long hours and tight deadlines, trying to come up with a winning pitch to earn a company’s business.

Back in the early 1970s, there was a boardroom full of John Deere employees and Gardner Advertising copywriters working into the night to come up with a memorable tagline for the company’s new snowmobile venture. After devising and writing down nearly 100 different ideas on paper, each and every one was rejected, and the document was thrown away.

Fortunately, a very determined copywriter, Bob Wright, frantically picked through the trash the following day with a resolve to uncover something that Deere executives would accept. Uncrumpling a piece of paper with a list of previously discarded phrases was the line “Nothing Runs Like A Deere,” and Wright decided to approach the company again with the phrase. Despite rejecting the tagline previously, John Deere management saw the idea in a new light and realized they had something special on their hands.

While John Deere’s snowmobile didn’t last, the slogan would remain. Today, John Deere is valued at over 113 billion and has achieved the status of being one of the largest manufacturers of construction and agricultural machinery worldwide.