Aflac Duck is 25 years old
It is the 25th birthday of America’s favorite spoke duck, representing a change in the way insurance companies themselves sell.
Who knew that funny sounding ducks can become so famous and successful?
No, we’re not talking about Duffy or Donald. Aflac, America’s favorite spoke duck, is now 25 years old, and the company looks back at all the commercials that made it famous. From the humble beginnings of commercials voiced by Gilbert Godfleet to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Aflac (as ducks are officially called) has transformed into a powerful corporate mascot for the past quarter century. And Dan Amos, the company’s longtime CEO, says it all started with two advertising executives sitting on a park bench, but it eventually became the biggest gamble of his career.
“It ran and when I saw it, Amos told Fox News, “I realized my whole career was bet on damn ducks! But today millions of people in America know about Aflac ducks.”
Amos praises AFLAC’s humor and spontaneity for its longevity and popularity. But it’s not just laughing. He says the company was able to use humor to file a major complaint among insurance customers at the time.
“We’ve always said that three times – Aflac! Aflac! Aflac,” says Amos. That realization has changed the face of advertising, showing that “serious” businesses like insurance companies can also have a lighter side.
And it worked. Within three years, AFLAC sales doubled, with name recognition being filmed from 10% to 90%. And now, ducks are helping out beyond their revenues. Proceeds from that sale will be used to fund the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in Atlanta. So far, more than $200 million has been raised.
The company is also producing a special robotic version of duck that will help relieve child cancer and sickle cell patients. The AFLAC has handed out almost 40,000 of these special ducks, and plans more over the next few years. Amos says it’s all part of a company-wide culture of charity. “As you can imagine, when the child is calm, the parents are calm,” he says. “So it ultimately works hand in hand to improve things.”
