Legendary Football Coach Nick Saban Teams with the Aflac Duck in Powerful Expansion of 'Aflac Isn't' Campaign

Coach Saban, Aflac Duck Featured in Series of TV Ads as Star Recruiters

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Aug 21, 2019, 09:06 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., Aug. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leader in supplemental insurance sales at U.S. worksites, today announced a high-powered football-themed marketing campaign that is among the most integrated in company history. The company will present a series of commercials featuring Coach Nick Saban and the Aflac Duck as well as expand its public relations and social media presences. The campaign features Coach Saban doing what he does best: recruiting star players, just as Aflac attracts potential policyholders.

Even if you have health insurance, it might not cover everything — like surprise bills or out of pocket costs. That’s why Aflac pays you money directly (unless assigned otherwise) to help with those. Just ask Coach Nick Saban, Aflac’s head recruiter — a winner if there ever was one.

Legendary football coach Nick Saban teams with the Aflac Duck in powerful expansion of ‘Aflac Isn’t’ campaign. The campaign features Coach Saban doing what he does best: recruiting star players, just as Aflac attracts potential policyholders.

"I am excited to take on this health issue because health insurance doesn't always cover everything, and I want to help Aflac recruit hardworking Americans so they can better protect themselves and their families," said Coach Nick Saban. "When I'm sitting down with a top recruit, I know there is a lot of competition out there, so I need to be honest about why choosing my team is the best option. I think we create more value for the player just like Aflac creates that same kind of value for its customers – for most people, not having supplemental insurance coverage could be like playing the game of life without a complete team."

"This powerful, integrated marketing effort has me more excited than ever about football season," said Teresa White, president of Aflac U.S. "We've put together a winning strategy that resonates with college football's passionate male and female fan base. As we educate future policyholders about our brand, we aim to help more people protect themselves from one of the greatest financial problems of our time: the expenses health insurance doesn't cover."

In 2019, Aflac initiated a new marketing campaign called "Aflac Isn't," designed to help consumers better understand Aflac's products and services by first clarifying what Aflac isn't. On Aug. 24, the company will debut the first in a new series of television commercials featuring Coach Saban, which will deliver on the next phase of the ongoing campaign and show that "Aflac isn't used how you think it's used."

The first television spot, "The Visit," debuts during the 7 p.m. EDT game on ESPN. It will be followed by two subsequent spots, "Campus Tour" and "Commitment Day," debuting mid-season and during the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship game, respectively.

"Our campaign to correct common misperceptions about our products and services is well underway," said Shannon Watkins, vice president of Brand and Creative Services at Aflac. "During football season, Coach Saban, considered one of the greatest coaches of all time, and our Aflac Duck, the greatest duck of all time, will take us on a recruiting journey that parallels Aflac sales agents' efforts to recruit new policyholders. We'll follow them from the home visit to the campus visit and, ultimately, to signing day."

Aflac will integrate the new campaign into its social media presence (follow @AflacDuck on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) as well as into its long-running "Aflac Trivia Question" on CBS and ESPN, which is being revamped to feature enhanced animation. In addition to continuing its support of ESPN, CBS, Home Team Sports and Raycom Sports, Aflac is adding the Southeastern Conference and the SEC Network to its media focus.

Aflac works with a portfolio of agencies for integrated campaigns. The agency team for this campaign included Publicis Seattle for broadcast creative, Spark Foundry for media buying and planning, Dagger/Atlanta for social media and Melt/Atlanta for SEC collaboration.

About Aflac Incorporated
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is a Fortune 500 company helping provide protection to more than 50 million people through its subsidiaries in Japan and the U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer, by paying cash fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan, where it insures 1 in 4 households. Through its trailblazing One Day Pay^SM initiative in the United States, for eligible claims, Aflac can process, approve and electronically send funds to claimants for quick access to cash in just one business day. For 13 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2018, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the 20th consecutive year, and in 2019, Fortune included Aflac on its list of World's Most Admired Companies for the 18th time. To find out more about One Day Pay^SM and learn how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover, get to know us at aflac.com.

Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York. WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999.

Media contact: Kristen Fraser, 706.580.3813 or [email protected]

Analyst and investor contact: David A. Young, 706.596.3264 or [email protected]

SOURCE Aflac