Crowds – literally thousands of prospective and current customers – swarmed the John Deere exhibit to see, explore, and learn about the numerous new products John Deere introduced at NAMPO. One of the largest agricultural exhibitions in the southern hemisphere, NAMPO has included Deere as a mainstay for more than 50 years. The show takes place in the Free State province of South Africa. This year NAMPO drew 81,000-plus visitors and 775 agriculture exhibitors from around the globe May 14–17. “John Deere values the relationship with our customers and a few of the main benefits of being at NAMPO are the handshakes, discussions over a good coffee, market feedback, and being able to introduce the latest technology to the market,” said Jacques Taylor, managing director, sub-Saharan Africa. With its largest trade show stand ever covering 3000 square meters, the Deere sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) team showcased many new products, including the M Series self-propelled sprayers, the intelligence package on the specialty sprayer, a factory-fitted track system on the S700 Series combine, the C120 combine from China, the new Gator™ utility vehicle line-up, and more. The vast Deere area also included a new merchandise store that generated over $285,000 in sales during the four days.

This year 259 sales leads were captured during NAMPO, many of which were related to new products as well. The Deere SSA team, however, has returned to this ag show every year for a larger purpose than sales. “NAMPO is not only about generating leads and sales, it’s also about representing the true humility of Deere to our customers and demonstrating we are invested in South African agriculture for the long run,” said Stephan Nel, marketing manager, sub-Saharan Africa. The new visual identity will be deployed internally as well and be the cornerstone for the company’s advertising, marketing, and corporate communication in sub-Saharan Africa. Jacques Taylor “We had by far the best stand at NAMPO as confirmed by feedback from our customers and media,” Nel said. “The most significant changes seen were the upgraded and added facilities, and, of course, our fresh effort at positioning the Deere brand in SSA, the central theme of this year’s NAMPO show.” Deere also chose this show to launch its reenergized brand vision with a refreshed tagline, “Believe in Greater.” This marks the start of a journey of collective power. “The launch came after an eight-month brand review on how to better connect with the market and give inspiration and human touch to the brand, as well as recognize the farmer as producer and make more impactful and emotive connections,” Taylor said. A day prior to the start of NAMPO, all employees, along with Deere dealers and members of the news media, came together at NAMPO for the reveal of the brand refresh. Four Facebook live events were streamed to further spread the word and raise awareness amongst online customers and viewers.