Aflac Duck to 25 years old
This is the 25th birthday of the US favorite spokesperson, which represents a shift in the way insurance companies sell themselves.
Who knew that a funny duck would become so famous and successful?
No, we’re not talking about Duffy or Donald. America’s favorite spokesman Aflac is over 25 years old and the company is reviewing all the ads that make him famous. Starting with an ad published by Gilbert Godfried, to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Aflac (formally known as the Duck) has transformed into a powerful corporate mascot over the past 25 years. It all started with two advertising executives sitting on park benches — but ended up being the biggest gamble of his career, the company’s long-time CEO Dan Amos said.
“When it ran away, I saw it, I realized that my whole career was on a damn duck! But today, thousands of people across the United States know about the Afrak duck.”
Amos believes that Aflac’s sense of humor and spontaneous lifespan and popularity. But it’s not just a laugh. He said the company was able to use humor to explore major complaints from the insurance company at the time.
“We always say it three times – aflac! aflac! aflac, and we find consumers are frustrated too because they are not heard or heard.” This awareness eventually changes the face of advertising, suggesting that “serious” businesses like insurance companies can also be easier.
It works. Within three years, Aflac’s sales doubled, with name recognition rates ranging from 10% to 90%. Now, the duck is moving beyond the bottom line. Proceeds from the sale are used to fund the Aflac Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases in Atlanta. More than $200 million have been raised so far.
The company also produces a special robotic version of ducks that helps soothe childhood cancer and sickle cell patients and is distributed free of charge in treatment centers across the country. Aflac gave away nearly 40,000 special ducks and has made more plans in the coming years. This is all part of the company-wide charity culture, Amos said. “You can imagine that when the kids are calm, parents are calm,” he said. “So it ultimately makes things better.”
