What’s in a brand?

Surprisingly, there were no other recognised brands with an agricultural leaning other than Caterpillar, probably better known for its construction equipment, that came in at 61^st with a value of $6.8b.

No surprises then to see Apple as the most recognised brand (value $118b), Toyota 43^rd ($43b), Mercedes 10^th ($34.2b) and Ford down at 39^th ($10.8b).

Interestingly, the readily recognised ‘leaping deer’ was first registered by Deere in 1876 when it was more locally known as The Moline Plow Company, its core business producing about 60,000 ploughs a year.

The original trademark showed a deer bounding over a log – a huge mistake by the designer because it featured an African deer not the Native American white tailed deer that appeared in later versions of the trademark.

Deere has updated its logo about six times since the late 19^th century. The last change in 2000 was to a deer with its hind legs planted firmly on the ground, signifying the heritage and roots of the company, while the leaping deer with raised front legs captured the essence of a company moving boldly into the new millennium.

What’s certain is that the next time this logo gets a tweak it won’t cost $26 million and will always feature the leaping deer.