COLUMBUS, Ga., March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac today
announced its plan for a nationwide casting call to find a new
voice for the iconic Aflac Duck. The company plans to hold
auditions in six cities across the United
States during the first week of April. Interested parties
will find a complete job description and information about how to
secure an audition appointment on Monster.com and at
Quackaflac.com, where job seekers can also submit applications
online.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110324/CL70713 )
Live auditions will be held in New
York City, Los Angeles,
Chicago, Las Vegas, Austin and Atlanta. While these audition slots will be
limited, the online casting call is open today and will remain open
until April 1, 2011 at midnight Pacific time.
Since 2000, the Aflac Duck has appeared in 52 television ads and
numerous radio ads, helping increase the company's brand
recognition from slightly more than 10 percent to an amazing 93
percent. The Aflac Duck is also a symbol for the company's primary
philanthropic cause, helping Aflac raise more than $62 million for the treatment and research of
childhood cancer.
"Being the new voice of the Aflac Duck carries responsibilities
far beyond recording duck sounds," Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing
Officer Michael Zuna said. "The
Aflac Duck symbolizes our promise to be there in times of need. It
represents the philanthropy and the ethical values embraced by our
employees and more than 72,000 independent sales agents across the
nation, so we are looking for the best person to help advance our
brand and business in a way that demonstrates our values."
"Aflac reached out to Monster because of the great success we've
had finding talent for really cool jobs," said Ted Gilvar, global chief marketing officer for
Monster Worldwide. "We are so proud to do what we can to help Aflac
with the nationwide search for the new 'spokesduck' and also
provide the millions of job seekers that visit Monster with a once
in a lifetime opportunity."
Immediately following the initial auditions, a selection of
candidates will be chosen by a professional casting agency, with
the top contenders invited for a callback. Candidates will be
judged on their ability to communicate an entire vocabulary in one
word, Aflac, and how their voice can help the Aflac Duck sound
informative, frustrated, happy, hurt, or angry, including grunts,
groans, and mutterings, but no words other than Aflac. Prior
voice-over experience is preferred, but not required.
All auditions — online or live — will be a maximum of 30 seconds
and will irrevocably become the property of Aflac. There will be
limited availability for live auditions, so those seeking to
interview in one of the six cities where casting calls will take
place should make an appointment by following the instructions on
Monster.com or Quackaflac.com. Live interviews will be held by
appointment only. The ten finalists selected for a
callback will be required to conduct a second audition either via
satellite or in person in New York
City.
"The Aflac Duck is fun, but it conveys a very important
message," Zuna said. "We believe this is the best job available in
America today, so applicants should prepare like this is the
opportunity of a lifetime."
While searching for the new voice of the Aflac Duck, Aflac is
continuing its television advertising schedule with "Silent Movie,"
which stars the Aflac Duck in a scene that resembles an old silent
movie genre film. In "Silent Movie," the Aflac Duck rescues a
damsel in distress in much the same way that he provides a safety
net for policyholders who are sick or injured.
Applicants should consider the following job description before
applying:
Job Title: New Voice of the Aflac Duck
About the Job
This position will be integral to forging Aflac's voice in all
manner of communications. In this role, you will find innovative
ways to use one word to convey to consumers that they need Aflac to
complement their major medical plans.
Responsibilities
- Creates innovative and original quacking that helps consumers
understand how Aflac is different from major medical
Insurance.
- Strategically develops ways for the word "Aflac" to
communicate that the company's insurance provides a safety net
for families.
- Translates complex messages into a single word that tells
people, "Aflac is the insurance company that they can count on in
their time of need."
- Provides exceptional and creative use of the word "Aflac" for
advertising in television, Web sites and other marketing
communications.
- Embodies the spirit of caring and ethics that Aflac is known
for both in and out of the recording studio.
Special Skills
- Requires correct pronunciation of the word Aflac
- Must be able to present complex information clearly and
concisely into an effective reading of the word "Aflac"
- Ability to improvise
- Skilled at making people laugh
- Unique and memorable voice
- Bilingual or trilingual skills (English with Duck and Spanish
Duck)
- Prior acting and or voice-over experience is preferred, but not
required.
Core Competencies
- Inspires trust and behaves ethically
- Is customer-centric
- Has a collaborative spirit especially when it comes to working
with ducks
- Is creative
ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits
fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped
provide a safety net and given policyholders the opportunity to
focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one
provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one insurance
company in terms of individual insurance policies in force. Aflac
insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million
people worldwide. For five consecutive years, Aflac has been
recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most
Ethical Companies and by Forbes magazine as one of America's
Best-Managed Companies in the Insurance category. In 2011,
Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best
Companies to Work For in America for the thirteenth consecutive
year. Also, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of
Most Admired Companies for the 10th time in 2011. Aflac
Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit
aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.
ABOUT MONSTER WORLDWIDE
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), parent company of Monster,
the premier global online employment solution for more than a
decade, strives to inspire people to improve their lives. With a
local presence in key markets in North
America, Europe, and
Asia, Monster works for everyone
by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and
by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally.
Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast,
highly targeted audiences to advertisers. Monster Worldwide is a
member of the S&P 500 index. To learn more about Monster's
industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More
information about Monster Worldwide is available at
http://about-monster.com.
Media Contacts:
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Analyst and Investment
Contact:
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Laura Kane
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Robin Y.
Wilkey
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Aflac Incorporated
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Aflac Incorporated
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706.596.3493
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1.800.235.2667, Option 3;
Fax: 706.324.6330
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lkane@aflac.com
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rwilkey@aflac.com
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Jon A. Sullivan
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Aflac Incorporated
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706.763.4813
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jsullivan@aflac.com
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Monster.com
Contact
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Matthew Henson
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Monster.com
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978-823-2627
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matthew.henson@monster.com
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(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100423/CL92305LOGO )
SOURCE Aflac