Commercial Analysis: Aflac Duck, Strengths and Weaknesses
The Aflac duck is one of the most instantly recognizable characters on television today. The duck's familiar 'quack' and squawking voice-over by popular comedian Gilbert Godfrey immediately conjures up the name of the supplemental health insurance company that provides worker's compensation to injured individuals. But does clever advertising and brand awareness mean that the advertisement convinces the viewer of the need to buy Aflac insurance? Although most viewers might be familiar with the name 'Aflac' does that mean that they truly know what 'Aflac' sells as a company? The strengths of the advertisement are its catchiness and the cleverness of the advertisement's design rather than its theme. The underlying theme of the advertisement should be the necessity of worker's compensation as a part of one's health insurance package. However, the ostentatious nature of the duck makes the surface theme of the commercial the fact that the Aflac duck gets himself in silly sit
Weaknesses Perhaps one of the most ineffective recent incarnations of the Aflac duck (although almost all Aflac ads follow a similar pattern) was one starring Melania Trump. (Sampey, 2006) Presumably this illustrates the dangerous nature of all jobs, and the fact that one never knows what fate may deal out to an unwitting person, even a duck. "The new 30-second, black-and-white spot, titled 'Experiment,' is set inside a laboratory. Weaknesses However, what does a quacking duck have to do with the concerns of the target audience? The quacking duck is supposed to be a reminder of the name of the insurance company, and presumably the need for the duck to act as a quacking reminder of the company name underlines the fact that many persons do not have this type of coverage and should look into the possibility of acquiring such insurance for their own and their family's well-being. The duck undergoes a series of misfortunes in the Aflac commercials, most notably one where it is accidentally electrocuted. If you're hurt and can't work, after all, who cares if your insurance has 'sex appeal' or not?. But the problems faced by the duck are so cartoon-like it is difficult to take the duck's problems seriously. Trump is strapped to one table while the duck is strapped to another, as a mad scientist explains to his assistant that he will transpose their voices 'to tell the world the benefits of Aflac with sex appeal!'" (Sampey, 2005) The absurdity of using a fashion model who is also the daughter of a billionaire to sell insurance to working persons living from paycheck to paycheck, and to use cuteness and sex appeal to sell something as unsexy as insurance, highlights the weakness of the conception of the Aflac duck. It is true that the advertisement does verbalize the purpose of the product: "If you're hurt and can't work," it is nice to have Aflac. However, by doing so in a humorous and irreverent fashion with a duck that is more likely to appeal to children than to adults, the advertisement misses out on an opportunity to create a sense of urgency in the viewer. The advertisement targets working individuals who have families and numerous financial obligations that would make temporary unemployment financially catastrophic. The advertisement provides no incentive to buy the product. Opportunities There are many ways to dramatize the serious need for supplementary insurance that will help an injured employee pay his or her bills. If anything, it detracts from the reality of the words of the advertisement, that Aflac will help you if you are sick and cannot physically do your job.
Common topics in this essay:
Gilbert Godfrey,
Melania Trump,
Introduction Aflac,
aflac duck,
health insurance,
you're hurt,
concerns target audience,
you're hurt can't,
target audience,
insurance company,
quacking duck,
concerns target,
worker's compensation,
words advertisement,
hurt can't,
|
Acceptance Essays
