John Deere’s Gen Z strategy—why it’s hiring a creator for $200,000 to launch TikTok account

John Deere has accumulated over 90,000 TikTok followers without posting a single video on its account. But now, the tractor maker is gearing up to make TikTok a foundational part of a new strategy to reach Gen Z and young millennials—and it’s on the hunt for a “chief tractor officer” to help make its agricultural and construction equipment relevant to young consumers. John Deere today launched a two-week search for a content creator to be its “chief tractor officer,” effectively the face of the brand’s nascent TikTok channel and its existing Instagram account. The creator chosen for the chief tractor officer role will travel the country for roughly a year interviewing farmers, construction workers, maintenance crews and others whose livelihoods involve John Deere equipment. It is part of an effort to reintroduce the brand to young consumers who have been “growing more distant from knowing who we are and what our brand stands for,” said Jen Hartmann, John Deere’s global director of strategic public relations and enterprise social media. Submit your questions for the next Gen Z roundtable here “If the story is about Wrigley Field, we want the chief tractor officer to come out from behind the ivy wall on a John Deere Gator,” Hartmann said. “We want the chief tractor officer to introduce the potato farmer who’s growing potatoes for McDonald’s french fries to customers in a McDonald’s. And [we want them to] really help cement with a younger audience how no matter what you do—whether it's your coffee, getting dressed in the morning, driving to work, the building you go into—it’s all been touched by a construction worker, a farmer or a lawn care maintenance group.” John Deere kicked off its search for a chief tractor officer with a video starring San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and his teammate, offensive lineman Colton McKivitz setting out in a John Deere tractor ... or they attempt to, anyway. Their journey is repeatedly interrupted by video calls from a slew of athletes, celebrities and creators jockeying for the chief tractor officer position. The celebrity applicants include NBA player Tyrese Haliburton; Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas; 16-year-old tennis player Anna Frey, who went viral for her resemblance to Purdy; TikTok’s “Corn Kid” Tariq; Natalie Marie, aka “Corporate Natalie,” and several others. The video also features two farmer influencers: “Millennial Farmer,” whose real name is Zach Johnson, and Laura Wilson, aka “Laura Farms.” The campaign marks the first time John Deere has partnered with celebrities for its marketing in the brand’s 187-year history, Hartmann added. Racepoint Global, an integrated communications agency, worked with the brand on the marketing push around the chief tractor officer search, she said. The broad range of creators and celebrities included in the campaign announcement video is meant to signal John Deere’s openness to having any kind of content creator apply for the chief tractor officer role—a background in farming, construction or other industries tied to John Deere isn’t a prerequisite, Hartmann said. Interested creators can apply by submitting a short-form video pitching themselves for the position, and they’re encouraged to also upload their submissions to TikTok and/or Instagram, according to a press release. The creator John Deere selects as its chief tractor officer will sign a one-year, $200,000 contract with the brand, Hartmann said. The chief tractor officer will coordinate with the brand’s social media team but ultimately lead the development of John Deere’s TikTok strategy, she said. John Deere isn’t the first brand to launch a social media search for a creator to helm its social channels. Sophie Jamison, who is now the chief TikTok officer at kitchenware brand Made By Gather, previously held the same role at Nerf after the brand invited creators to apply to run its TikTok channel. Earlier this month, Olipop revealed the winners of its search for two new content creators after the brand sorted through the thousands of applications it received for the positions. @drinkolipop Drum roll, please! 🥁👀 ......After an extensive process of reviewing videos, applications, and interviewing candidates, we discovered so many incredible duos & found a pair of ultimate hype friends! Congratulations to our Dream Job winners: @Maggie Chang and @TAM ♬ original sound - OLIPOP “Yes, this is a really fun role—but it’s also very meaningful,” Hartmann said. “It could really make an impact on how people think about where their food comes from, where their clothes come from. So, I’m excited, too, about the purpose behind this role and the kind of impact [the chief tractor officer] can make.”

John Deere’s Gen Z strategy—why it’s hiring a creator for $200,000 to launch TikTok account

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