Monday, March 20, 2006
Why settle for a Mercedes when you can drive a tractor?
Do you know the difference between an Alessi tea kettle and a Revere tea kettle? Aside from about $80, the difference is mainly in design. Good or bad, design is an integral part of every brand. Design changes the context in which we perceive brands and can either enhance the user experience or detract from it.
What’s true for tea kettles is also true for tractors. Take the new high-horsepower Fendt 936 Vario tractor, recent winner of the prestigious Red Dot Product Award. Hosted by Germany’s Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, the Red Dot is awarded to the highest tier of international product design.
According to BusinessWeek Online, the Red Dot is “so important that Asian companies like Korean consumer electronics makers Samsung and LG pay their head designers an annual bonus based on how many products bag a Red Dot.”
Okay, back to the tractor. In the Red Dot’s transports category, alongside Porsche, Lamborghini and Maserati, you’ll find the Fendt 936 Vario tractor. It combines luxury, power and sleek design—making it a real head-turner. I’d take the Fendt 936 Vario tractor over a Deere any day. I’d also take it over a Hummer.
