John Deere’s Canadian arm plans to bear its heart on its sleeve — not to mention its health, hands and head — for a new fundraising campaign.
The ag and construction machinery company plans to “co-brand” with the Canadian 4-H Council, putting the 4-H’s well-known four-leaf logo on the sleeve of Deere T-shirts.
The new Deere 4-H clothing line, which will also include sweatshirts, ball caps, gym bags and key tags initially, will launch exclusively in participating John Deere dealerships this spring, the company said.
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A portion of the merchandise sales will be donated back to the Canadian 4-H Council, the company said. The campaign “may be extended to other items in the near future,” Deere said in a release Wednesday.
The manufacturer said it plans more promotions throughout the year to mark its 60th anniversary as a member of the 4-H council.
“We are excited that we can leverage the John Deere brand to give back to 4-H,” David Chipak, manager of John Deere’s Canadian farm and turf equipment business, said in the company’s release.
“Many of our employees and our dealers’ employees are alumni, so we understand how important 4-H is in developing future leaders of agriculture in this country.”
According to David Magee’s 2005 book The John Deere Way, Deere’s forays into licensed Deere-branded merchandise such as T-shirts, boots, gifts and toys accelerated in earnest in 1995 when the company formed a “brand management” group.
Sales of Deere-licensed products rose “fivefold” from 1995 to 2001 and doubled again by 2004, according to Magee, a Tennessee business columnist and author.
