WENDELL, N.C. — KIOTI Tractor, a division of Daedong-USA, Inc., today released a daring new advertising campaign promising to “treat you like dirt.” KIOTI is introducing the new campaign this August to focus on what tractor owners prioritize most—hard, dirty work on their land.
The integrated campaign, created in partnership with Raleigh, NC-based creative agency Baldwin&, features multiple new broadcast spots and will also roll out print, social media and banner ads across digital properties.
The campaign features dirt in every form and on every surface—hands, faces, work boots, shovels and especially tractors—to show appreciation and respect for one of the most fundamental aspects of the industry—dirt. One of the primary tag lines makes a heartfelt promise to KIOTI customers, giving new meaning to the old phrase, “we’re going to treat you like dirt.”
“Because of how much dirt represents for KIOTI and for our tractor owners, we love the power in reframing the phrase ‘we’re going to treat you like dirt’ to now reflect the highest form of respect,” said Peter Dong-Kyun Kim, president and CEO of Daedong-USA, Inc., KIOTI Tractor Division. “Many KIOTI tractor owners are hobby farmers—people who make up their own minds, value quality and are not trend followers. They enjoy the hard work—and the getting dirty—that comes with working land. KIOTI embraces that attitude, and values hard work above all else. We are proud that these ads showcase that focus.”
KIOTI and Baldwin& aimed to create something that resonated with hobby farmers, production farmers, tradespeople and other professionals who roll up their sleeves and live this life daily. The campaign shifts the focus from the tractor to the reason for the tractor—the dirt and the satisfaction of a hard day’s work.
The “Treat You Like Dirt” ad opens with a shot of a bright orange KIOTI PX Series tractor pulling out of a barn, startling a deer, as a male voiceover promises, “At KIOTI, we’re going to treat you like dirt. Because we hold dirt in the highest regard.”
The closing focuses on dirt’s virtues: “We’re honored to find it under our fingernails. Lucky to be caked in it at day’s end. And we count our blessings every time we’re able to return to it…Dirt gets taken for granted by most. But if you know us, you know getting treated like dirt means getting treated with respect.”
The “Dirty Work” ad opens with a KIOTI PX tractor tilling the land, stirring up clouds of dirt as a voiceover compares KIOTI tractors to those “with bigger names. Longer histories. More popular hats. Cute toy lines.” It continues, “So we’ll let the others keep their squeaky-clean images. And we'll focus on what really matters. KIOTI. We dig dirt.”