EXHIBITOR Magazine: Last year, Deere and Co. participated in CES virtually. How successful was that experience?

Laurel Caes: Our participation in the first-ever all-digital CES was very successful, and we attribute a lot of that to being creative and thinking out of the box to deliver a unique experience to our key audience of media. One of the best ways to understand how technology is impacting the farm is to bring media to the farm or to bring the farm to Vegas. Since both options weren't possible, we used virtual reality (VR). Understanding that not everyone would have the opportunity to use a headset, we also created a central microsite with a desktop VR experience and many other resources to help tell the story. What we accomplished at CES 2021 has lasting impacts on our marketing efforts because we are continuing to think outside the box to tell our story in an impactful and memorable way.

EM: How did you decide to participate in person at CES 2022?

LC: John Deere had both an in-person and virtual presence at CES 2022. We made the decision to show up in a bold way early on during the planning process, so in addition to holding our first-ever press conference on Media Day to reveal our fully autonomous tractor ready for large-scale production and having an outdoor booth in Central Plaza, plans were made to ensure we'd also reach those tuning into the show remotely. Part of this planning involved the development of a microsite where attendees could tune into a live stream of our press conference, watch videos of our demos and Tireside Chats (which were quick discussions about tech next to one of our machine's tires), see photos of our booth, meet our experts, read our fact sheet, and access other key resources.

EM: Did you develop any contingency plans in case the show shifted to virtual at the last minute?

LC: We developed contingency plans for every scenario we could think of, and those backup plans had backup plans. The most important factor for us was ensuring that no matter what plan we ended up going forward with, our story and the important conversation of how technology is helping farmers feed the world would come through loud and clear.

EM: What kind of pre-show marketing did you do to maximize your show-floor presence?

LC: We coordinated a teaser campaign to generate excitement for the press conference and our presence at the show. We published a video to our social media channels and microsite to tease the announcement. We also had a countdown timer for the press conference running on our microsite and sent key media and influencers "hype boxes." Each box served as another touchpoint and reminder about what was to come and provided media with fodder to organically promote Deere's presence at the show on their social media channels.

EM: How would you describe your overall CES strategy?

LC: Our strategy focused on ensuring a positive experience for our audience no matter if they were in person or remote. We incorporated lots of video to capture content that was shared on our microsite, so those joining remotely still had an opportunity to experience things. We also designed our booth with visuals to bring our story of creating tech for a purpose to life and to share why agriculture is an important industry for all.

EM: What was the best part of being back at an in-person CES?

LC: Being back at an in-person CES was surreal for all of us. Our team and attendees had such a positive energy that radiated through our booth and in every interaction. We were thrilled to see all our hard work come to life and experience the power of coming together to talk about tech's impact on agriculture.

EM: What, in your opinion, was the most successful part of your approach to CES 2022?

LC: The most successful part of CES for us was seeing our story resonate with attendees. This meant we did our job with the press conference and all the work leading up to the show. Our people are truly what made this happen. We had a farmer in the booth who had conversations with attendees on how tech makes a difference in their lives. This was important because not everyone knows all the hard work that goes into this career. We also had our spokespeople present who are experts in everything from AI to autonomy to data and connectivity. This contributed to our success because we were able to tell our complete tech story. At the end of each day, our team huddle buzzed with stories from the day and even more excitement for the day to come.