January 10, 2010: Aflac's iconic Duck gets animated in a new 30-second spot to support the company's relaunched Web site and business tactic, which is intended to break the "staid, copy-heavy industry mode to effectively communicate the need for insurance to consumers and businesses alike."The commercial will break this week as the insurance company is seeking a new lead agency to replace The Kaplan Thaler Group, which created the Aflac Duck campaign about ten years ago but has chosen not to defend the account, estimated to have a $95 million media spend in 2009.
The national spot supports the new Aflac.com Web site, which features the Duck "in a series of more more than 40 amusing and interactive animations," extensive user engagements and enhanced tools and information. The site was created by Firstborn, New York, and Kaplan Thaler.
"The new Aflac.com breaks the industry mold by providing visitors with a truly dynamic, engaging and entertaining experience," Jeff Charney, Aflac svp and CMO, said in a statement. "Whether you are a business owner, broker, prospective agent or a consumer looking for ways to help protect your family's finances, you'll leave the site entertained and - most importantly - you'll know exactly how Aflac can work for and benefit you."
In the spot, we follow the animated duck through various medical landscapes, including a hospital and a doctor's office, as a voiceover explains, "This is not 'pay the hospital' insurance. This is not 'pay the doctor' insurance. This is not major medical insurance. This is 'affordable, we pay cash directly to you fast when you are sick or hurt' insurance. If all you know about us is "Aflac" then you don't know quack."A second Web site, www.YouDon'tKnowQuack.com, also supports. In addition, a photo of the animated duck also is currently plastered on the side of a 12-story office building on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
The duck was first animated for a 2003 commercial in which he starred along side such Looney Tunes characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Last year, he was animated in a spot that also touted the Disney/Pixar movie, UP, in which scenes from the move were interspersed with the Duck trying to put money in a jar for the lead character, Carl Fredricksen after he hosptilized and then on the house that was an integral part of the plot as it floats across the sky. ]]>