The Aflac Duck Saves the Day
February 20 2006 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Popular Spokesduck Gets the Silent Treatment in New Television
Commercial COLUMBUS, Ga., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In the company's
second television commercial released this year, the Aflac Duck
takes a quieter approach to explaining how Aflac insurance policies
can assist policyholders during a time of need. Debuting nationwide
on February 20, the new ad, "Silent Movie," showcases the Aflac
Duck as the hero to a damsel in distress in a parody of the silent
film genre made popular during the early twentieth century. Shot
using black and white film with dialogue displayed on-screen
between action sequences, and thematic music serving as the
soundtrack, the commercial depicts a heroic Aflac Duck saving a
woman who is tied to a railroad track as an oncoming train quickly
approaches. In the ad, the brave duck steps in harm's way, freeing
the endangered woman from her terrible bind. "While we strive to
create commercials that are entertaining, we also want to convey a
message that is relevant to consumer needs," said Dan Amos,
chairman and CEO of Aflac. "At Aflac, we recognize the financial
bind that many families endure while struggling to balance living
expenses with rising health care costs. Our products are designed
to help ease that pressure, and the new commercial serves as a
metaphor for this." In the 25th installment of the fan-favorite
commercial series, "Silent Movie" helps to launch Aflac's second
year of an on-going branding initiative developed to provide
consumers with a better understanding of the company's product
offerings. In 2005, the new branding campaign produced several
popular commercials. They include "Helping Out," named Best-Liked
New Ad by AdAge.com shortly after its release in August, and
"Experiment" featuring celebrity Melania Trump, which recently
earned an Art Directors Guild Award nomination. Television viewers
can catch the debut of "Silent Movie" during prime time on ABC, CBS
and NBC. The commercial will also air on cable stations, including
A&E, the History Channel and others. Aflac is the number one
provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and
Japan. Aflac's insurance products provide protection to more than
40 million people worldwide and pay cash benefits to policyholders
unless they chose otherwise. Aflac's products are primarily sold at
worksites in the United States. In Japan, Aflac is the largest life
insurer in terms of individual insurance policies in force. In
January 2006, Aflac was included in Fortune magazine's list of "The
100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for the eighth
consecutive year. In August 2005, Aflac was included in Fortune
Magazine's list of "Top 50 Employers for Minorities." Aflac has
also been included in Forbes magazine's Platinum 400 List of
"America's Best Big Companies" for five consecutive years and in
Fortune magazine's listing of "America's Most Admired Companies"
for five consecutive years. 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. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO ) Media
Contact: Mechell Clark Aflac Incorporated (706) 243-8004 Voice
(706) 320-2288 Fax First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT:
Mechell Clark of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-8004, or Fax,
+1-706-320-2288, or Web site: http://www.aflac.com/
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