Aflac and The Importance of Branding
Our recent interview with the COO of Aflac, Paul Amos, saw him flanked by the Aflac Duck: an omnipotent presence who sat throughout the interview, overseeing the entire operation.
To be fair, that depiction of the Aflac Duck makes it sound like something out of a Stephen King novel, as though the whole thing was just a little bit child’s play, or slightly akin to some urban legend in which a possessed soft toy comes to life to wreak havoc across its owners. Have no fear though; the Aflac Duck is much cuter than that, and not at all scary.
The Aflac Duck also managed to show MeetTheBoss.tv just how fashionable it can be by donning a rather fetching neckerchief. I, for one, was thrilled: it’s nice to see a duck who knows how to dress well – I was always rather concerned by Donald Duck’s distinct lack of ability to wear a pair of trousers. Ever.
You can see the Aflac Duck in all his fashionista glory (and Paul Amos) here. Of course, the reality of the Aflac Duck is quite different from this skewed, demonic concept I have managed to conjure here. While Amos was joined by a stuffed toy version of the Aflac Duck (and what iconic character doesn’t have it’s own cuddly, squishy version?), the real Aflac Duck – and star of more than 30 television commercials – is more commonly portrayed through a combination of footage of real ducks, CGI effects and lifelike puppets.
Created in 2000, the Aflac Duck has since shared the screen with the likes of Chevy Chase, Donald Trump’s wife Melania, and the US Olympic synchronised swimming team. Get him. Amos explains: “When the little white duck waddled onto the screen, everything changed. He isn’t just the brand; he is the icon leading us to the brand. The brand almost took on its own life and its own living form through the duck.”
As a concept, the way it generally works is as follows: Human folk (and therefore prospective Aflac customers) are discussing the insurance that Aflac provides, although they are unable to remember the name of the company. The duck pops up and quacks the Aflac name, trying to jog their memory, but he has a temper, and that leaves him prone to angered outbursts that invariably backfire.
As such, misfortunes that have befallen the Aflac Duck include falling into the Grand Canyon, getting hit by a train, sliding off a snowy rooftop, getting placed on an intense roller coaster, flying out of a snowboarding halfpipe, and being hit by a falling automobile. Think Wile E. Coyote, only with less dynamite and more quacks.
“People live for what [this duck] has to say,” continues Amos. “The one word that he’s got us all focusing on. I think that really gives people a feeling and a sense of what we do, and the duck is at the core of that.” Customers not only identify the quack-riddled, angry duck with Aflac, they trust the familiar territory that the 30+ adverts have created. The Aflac Duck, in essence, personifies the very definition of brand identity.
According to Scott Bedbury, formerly of Nike and Starbucks and author of The Lawlor Review, “A brand is not a product. It is the sum total of everything a company does – the good, the bad and even the off strategy – that creates a large context or an identity in the consumer’s mind.” Through the duck, Aflac have managed to create brand that is so recognisable to its audience that it belongs in the same hall of fame as the McDonald’s Golden Arches, or KFC’s Colonel Sanders.
The duck is to Aflac as Mickey Mouse is to Disney: an indication that when done right, branding can make the difference. Just don’t make the same mistake as Burger King, who last year failed to understand just what Americans wanted from their favorite fast food joint. Burger King’s 2009 ad campaign was called ‘horrible’, ‘creepy’, and ‘unadventurous,’ and by and large was considered to be just not working as the company found itself falling further behind McDonald’s according to official figures.
The problem? Assuming that what BK diners wanted was a Bobblehead King doll that took pleasure in sneaking into your bedroom at night and terrorizing you from outside your window by growing to the size of King Kong. Crikey! It’s all got a bit Stephen King again hasn’t it?
Topics:
