Millions of Americans are aware of the Aflac Duck. Unfortunately, those same Americans are far less aware of Aflac’s specific products, value propositions, sponsorships or philanthropic efforts. We saw a unique opportunity to extend the Duck’s influence beyond the traditional :15/:30 TV format. By giving the Duck a voice on Twitter, we were able to capitalize on the momentum that Aflac has built up over the past ten years, and launch him into a sphere where he has the opportunity to engage users legitimately as Aflac’s number one brand acolyte.
We combined the natural element of humor of an intelligent spokesduck who observes the advantages and disadvantages of being a duck in a person’s world with messages of brand awareness. And, Twitter being what it is, followers have delighted in the ability to engage in a real time conversation with their favorite duck whenever they want.
The Aflac Duck has used Twitter as a launch pad for never-been-done-before things like photos taken from the Duck's perspective, on various business trips and vacations including Paris, Seattle, the beach and more. Naturally, the Duck has occasional issues with his wings and feet finding their way into the picture, but what can we say, he's a duck and not a professional photographer. This creative approach has resulted in tremendous response and engagement with users, as it brings the Aflac Duck to life.
"I'll have to run the numbers when I get home, but I think that Paris might be the international capital of small yippy dogs."
- Aflac Duck
To help define Aflac's products, sponsorships and philanthropy in the minds of consumers, the Twitter page highlights Aflac's other marketing initiatives from the authentic viewpoint of the one who is integral in making those initiatives successful – the Duck. Extraordinary effort is spent to create a consistent, believable story and a page that is true to Twitter culture and trends. It brings the power of a mass media campaign to one-on-one interaction and creates a lasting impression with every user engaged by the Duck.
The Duck's Twitter page gives Aflac the ability to interact with users in their space in real-time and on an individual basis, including the ability to comment when Twitter users offer 140 character testimonials praising Aflac. And, during The Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, we used Twitter as a platform to alert fans of plush duck giveaways within the San Diego area – the game set a record attendance this year.
