2010 marks the 10-year anniversary of the now famous mascot the AFLAC Spokesduck, you know the one, “A-F-L-A-C”!!! Once suffering from only a 13% brand recognition, AFLAC stock has grown over 200% in the same decade, in part because of increased visibility and name recognition.
But lets face it – after a decade of hearing the slightly annoying, accident prone duck quack at us from parks, farms, roller coasters, soccer fields, and ski slopes, do you have any idea what the duck was actually trying to sell? Um…me either.
So how does the company build on its BRAND name recognition to create PRODUCT recognition? They go transparent. I love the new AFLAC campaign where now a real spokersperson, Carl, confesses that we “still don’t know Quack about AFLAC” – even after 10 years of trying to telling us!
“If all you know about us is [spokesduck quacking AFLAC], then you really don’t know quack.” Bravo! I love this campaign. When was the last time you heard a company step forward and admit that well, lets face it, that they were somehow not connecting with their customers?
What does this tell us about being a successful brand? Well its not just all about your name, it’s getting your customers to understand your value proposition, and helping them connect your Brand Name to your Product.
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