AFLAC. Voice of the duck

When a tsunami hit Japan in March of 2011, an outpouring of support streamed in from around the world. Gilbert Gottfried, the comedian who had voiced the Aflac Duck for nearly a decade, tweeted several tasteless jokes about Japanese people and the tsunami. Considering that the Japanese market accounts for nearly 75% of Aflac’s sales, the company decided to let him go.

We needed to find a new voice—fast. We hosted an open casting call and invited the entire country to audition to become the next voice of the Aflac Duck.

With over 12,000 applicants, 70,000 media stories, and 900 million media impressions in just a few weeks, Aflac achieved immediate success—even finding their way into late-night TV monologues and other pop culture channels. The effort was awarded a Bronze Lion at the 2011 Cannes Awards for PR and integration. Creative: Dylcia Barnhart, Deb Siegel McDermott