Animals have long been used as mascots for our favorite brands and sports teams. Why? Because animals transcend different cultures and languages—and, simply put, people just love them. One of those most beloved and memorable (albeit sometimes annoying) animal mascots is the Aflac duck, whose story began in an unlikely place.
“Our advertising agency was in Central Park sitting on a bench. And they heard ducks and they noticed it sounded like Aflac,” the insurance giant’s CEO Dan Amos told Fortune. “And so the quack, quack, Aflac became the idea. And that’s how we got in.”
And with that, the Aflac duck campaign debuted in 2000 with the television commercial “Park Bench,” according to company history. New York City–based ad agency Kaplan Thaler Group pitched the idea that doubled the company’s business in three years.
Park Bench success
Amos, at the time of the commercial launch, was actually reluctant to run with the idea because he thought it was making light of the company’s name. This was also right around the time other insurance giants like Geico had started running funny and lighthearted animal-related ads. The Geico gecko first made its appearance in 1997, according to its company history.
