Friday, 24 May 2019 11:45

Square-off in the tractor market

Written by  Mark Daniel

John Deere and Mahindra have squared off in the US over the latter’s advertising claims.

John Deere complained that its Indian rival had been exaggerating the number of tractors it had sold.

The National Advertising Review Board (NARB) in the US told Mahindra it should modify its claims to being “No. 1 selling tractor” and “over 2.1 million Mahindra tractors sold”, and that it should cease referring to “best warranty” and “superior oil protection”.

Deere complained to the National Advertising Division (NAD) in 2018, saying the “No. 1” claim was misleading and did not disclose the total number of tractors included as Mahindra and Mahindra-owned Swaraj branded products. It also excluded certain vehicles from the definition of ‘tractors’.

The NAD also recommended that Mahindra cease claiming “the industry’s best warranty”. But it did not preclude the company from making truthful claims for specific attributes of the warranty that made it superior to its competitors, notably the duration of the warranty. 

The NAD also recommended that Mahindra should stop claiming “superior protection with our branded oils” due to a lack of supporting evidence.

Mahindra has appealed the NAD’s recommendation to the NARB, which suggested that the “No. 1” claim be qualified with a clear disclosure of all the tractor brands involved and an indication of the time period to which the claim relates. 

Mahindra argued that its “best warranty” claims were “puffery” and even if they were not, that their powertrain warranty was indeed longer than any of its competitors’.

Mahindra has advertised that it has agreed to comply with the findings.

More like this

John Deere Secures Record 20-Harvester Deal

The old saying is ‘go big or go home’, which appears to be something that German contracting business Kohl Harvest of Saxony-Anhalt in Bavaria has done with a record order for John Deere.

Featured

NZ Pest Crisis Costs Farmers $466M a Year — Survey

New Zealand's pest problem has reached crisis point, according to Federated Farmers' second National Pests Survey, which shows farmers are spending more money and effort on control — yet pest numbers keep climbing faster than they were two years ago.

Third H5 Bird Flu Case Found in NZ Wild Bird

Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

'LinkedIn Greens'

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…

UK Warning

OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter