Communicating Your Values Through Brand Storytelling

Chania Crawford
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On ICON 2023 Day 3, I had the pleasure of attending “Communicating Your Values Through Brand Storytelling” to learn how agricultural machinery company John Deere shed light onto the complex history of black landowners and how they are reclaiming their agricultural legacy and creating paths to generational wealth.

Global Director of Public Relations and Social Media Jen Hartmann and PR Manager of DEI and Sustainability Bonny Verduzco led the session, showing how one idea grazed the hearts of many and was transformed into an electrifying documentary. 

The session kicked off with Hartmann delivering a hard truth to a room full of PR professionals. 
 
“No one cares what your brand has to say,” Hartmann said. 

The energy in the room dropped. That’s quite the low blow in the PR world. 

“What I'm trying to say is that given a choice, why would someone want to learn more to take action to join the movement? This is where Bonnie and I hope to help today by sharing our own journey to create the emotional value driven connection with your audience and what we've learned along the way,” Hartmann said. 

John Deere had already taken steps to join the movement to keep previously black-owned land in black possession, but they wanted to take things further. They wanted to share this story and its impact with the world. 

“Our PR agency pitched this story to major media outlets and while we saw some really strong pickup from outlets such as CNN and business insider, there was one segment on the today show that caught the attention of a well-known media personality who just happened to own a production company whose mantra is ‘Let’s tell your story of good.’ This was none other than Al Roker,” said Hartmann.  
To give us a feel for the documentary, Hartman and Verduzco played the trailer for the group. The compelling video flashed across the screen, showcasing the connection that many black people have with the land and the legacy it creates. Senior Advisor at John Deere Marc A. Howze was featured in the documentary, having a personal connection to the matter. His words echoed through the room. 

“Social justice without economic justice is just chit chat,” Howze said. 

The trailer ended and both Hartmann and Verduzco looked back at the group with pride. 
 
“This is a 90 minute film that dives into the complex history of black farmers in America. From sharecropper to ownership and the economic impact that it has on the community, not just the families. And of course, it also shines a spotlight on the very complicated issue of Heirs’ property,” Verduzco said. 

Looking back on the project, Hartmann is grateful for her supportive leadership team. While filming, they had long talks about the government's contribution to the long-term discrimination of black landowners for much of the 19th century. 

She worried about leaving those testimonials in the film, but a leader on the team at the time reassured her by saying, “Jennifer, we are not in the business of burning books. This story needs to be told and we can’t rewrite how we got here.” 

While the history is unfortunate, the documentary brings us one step closer to protecting black owned land. Along the way, Both Verduzco and Hartmann wanted to make sure the message of the documentary went beyond John Deere. 

“Our goal was never to get John Deere in the headlines. It was to speak out on something that not only we care about, but our employees and customers care about too,” Verduzco said. 

To watch the trailer and learn more about the process of creating the film, visit gaininggroundthefilm.com.