Wrapped in the flag | What started as a promotional campaign has grown in popularity
TULARE, Calif. — Massey Ferguson likes how the Canadian flag feels.
When the farm equipment manufacturer laid out a giant, flying Canadian flag across two sides of one of its new combines last year, the idea was to promote the machine and the brand in Western Canada.
The wrapped combine idea has since caught on in the region.
“The Prairies have always been strong supporters of the Massey brand,” said Kevin Cobb of Agco.
“There is a long history of the (Massey) self-propelled combine up there. They support the dealers, and we thought it might be a good way of showing our corporate recognition of those folks.”
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Agco wrapped its new red rotary combine in a giant Canadian flag for the Farm Progress Show in Regina last year, similar to what marketers often do with buses and promotional vehicles.
The combine was also used for farm demonstrations last fall.
“It was a big hit at the show with dealers and farmers,” Cobb said.
“The dealers had customers asking if they could buy one for themselves.”
Wayne Stankievech of Trochu Motors in Trochu, Alta., got a wrapped combine and several requests by farmers who were anxious to own one.
Cobb said that interest has caused his company to make a wrapped version an option through the dealers.
Stankievech sold his demo unit from last fall and plans to have another available for fall demos this year.
“We are thinking we will first offer it for sale to the farmers who participate in the demos before other customers,” he said.
“One farmer was actually a little upset. He wanted one, but had already bought his combines for the year. His wife runs one of theirs and has a really big flag flying from her machine and they figured it would be even better if their combine was wrapped. It was the only way to go more Canadian with it.… I disappointed him, but maybe next season.”
Cobb said the idea of wrapping a farm machine in the flag is an old one in the United States.
“We’ve had custom painted tractor schemes in farm machinery for decades. Some were dealers, some were marketed that way and some were farmers doing their own things. The new wrapping technology has made this better, cheaper, more accessible,” he said.
“So we thought, ‘hey, why not a combine?’ So we did.”
The material used to wrap the combine has a seven year warranty against fading or peeling.
Cobb said farmers who spend $5,000 to $6,000 on a wrapping should be able to peel it off when the implement is traded or sold.
“It not only looks good, but when you take it off you have a fully (labelled) machine ready to go, with mint condition paint underneath,” he said.
“There is probably a value to that, too. Used machines sell better with great paint.”
Stankievech plans to limit the number he will offer to his customers, ensuring that the wrapped machines remain special.
“And these things really are special looking, real Canadian.”
