It began 10 years ago, with a simple TV commercial, dubbed "Park Bench," showing two men sitting on a bench and discussing health insurance and struggling to remember the company's brand name, while the mascot duck quacked Aflac, Aflac, Aflac in the background.
That campaign – and 46 commercials later – Charney told OMMA Global New York attendees, Aflac's brand recognition has jumped from 11% to 91%.
"One of the most disruptive ads in the history of advertising and it really put us on the map," Charney said, showing the original "Park Bench" spot, and then showing a more contemporary version featuring two women sitting the bleachers of a soccer match, while the trademark duck quacked Aflac, Aflac, Aflac.
The problem, Charney said, is no longer brand awareness, but brand meaning, noting that only 4% of consumers who are aware of the Aflac brand actually know what it means.
The solution, he said, was a teaser outdoor media campaign featuring the line: "You don't know quack." A month after launching the boards, the company added the Aflac logo, and pushed people to the YouDon'tKnowQuack.com site.
Now they're using social media, including Facebook, and YouTube, including grassroots viral videos created by Aflac fans like the Bonus Brothers who create and perform songs about Aflac.
Aflac's 10-year-old "Park Bench"