Robin Koval
CEO & President at Truth Initiative
Washington, Stati Uniti
TitoloThe New Aflac Duck Voice
Agenzia
Campagna The New Aflac Duck Voice
Cliente AFLAC
Marca AFLAC
PostedLuglio 2011
Settore Comunicazione Istituzionale
Filosofia Immediately following the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Aflac CEO and Chairman Dan Amos visited Japan (home to 75% of the company’s business) and pledged 100 million yen to assist with relief efforts. In the midst of this human tragedy, we were also faced with a marketing disaster: comedian Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of our beloved Duck, issued distasteful remarks about the crisis, and we subsequently severed our ties with him. The Duck had lost its voice – the crucial quack that had propelled the brand from 10% to 90% household awareness. But we saw an opportunity in this challenge, quickly launching a nationwide, integrated job search for the Duck’s new voice. Turning what CNN calls a "gaffe into a gift," the crisis communications effort leveraged the search’s different phases, notably the launch, auditions and final announcement. We worked with national, local and trade press across all mediums, generating sustained coverage for almost two months and totaling 70,000 media stories and over 900 million media impressions. Today, not only does the Duck have his quack back, but the Aflac brand is positioned stronger than ever, with the company posting an increase in sales for the first time in over nine quarters.
Problema


In the midst of coping with the crisis in Japan, home to 75% of Aflac’s business, we were also faced with a marketing disaster. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of our beloved Duck, issued insensitive remarks about the tsunami’s aftermath, and immediately thereafter, we severed our ties with him. Though we acted swiftly, we potentially faced a huge backlash from both the Japanese and American public. At the same time, the Duck had abruptly lost its voice, leaving us without our iconic friendly fowl and most valuable communications asset.



Risultato The effort’s success surpassed even our expectations. The search generated sustained, extremely positive press coverage for almost two months with over 70,000 media stories, over 900 million media impressions and over $39 million in earned media to date. Americans loved the idea of the search, with a total of 12,371 officially applying for the job online and through live auditions with thousands more informally sharing their "Aflac!" in social media. We gained significant traction on the Duck’s Twitter and Facebook profiles with a 14.5% increase in followers. Traffic to Aflac.com has increased 20%. The Duck now has his voice back, and is quacking in a new TV commercial. Coming out of this effort, the Aflac brand is positioned stronger than ever, and the company posted an increase in sales for the first time in over nine quarters.
Tipo di Media Case Study
Chief Creative Officer
Other
President
Creative Director
Creative Director
Account Director

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