Aflac Duck Tries to Make the Cut as Hair Stylist in New Television Commercial

COLUMBUS, Ga., May 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the work site in the United States, will premiere its newest television commercial, "Duck Salon," during the season finale of "Dancing with the Stars," which airs tomorrow night at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC Network.

The commercial continues the company's campaign highlighting how the Aflac Duck isn't good at everything, but he is the best at paying claims fast, especially with Aflac's new One Day Pay^SM initiative. In the newest edition, the Aflac Duck attempts to play the part of stylist in a hair salon. Download a copy of "Duck Salon."

"In today's world, unexpected mishaps occur every day – whether it's an unfortunate haircut, or a more serious accident or illness," said Keith Pellerin, vice president of product management and innovation at Aflac. "While the Aflac Duck helps present our message in a lighthearted and entertaining way, we want consumers to know that no matter how big or small the claim, Aflac's priority is to get cash benefits to our policyholders quickly – now in as little as just one business day. This means our customers can focus on recovering without worrying about their finances."

In "Duck Salon," the Aflac Duck is shown shaving and snipping away at his clients' hair. One by one the salon chairs turn to reveal the eccentric hair styles his clients received, including a spiked mohawk with shaved sides and a row of cut-out paper dolls. As the clients react with horror and shock, two women observing the Aflac Duck's work from under the dryers discuss how one mistakenly believed that he was the best hair stylist.

The second woman under the dryer corrects the first saying, "Oh, he's a horrible stylist. But, he's the best at paying claims fast." She later adds, "He paid mine in just one day." The first woman is so impressed with Aflac's new One Day Pay^SM promise that she overlooks the horrible hairdos, including her neighbor's which becomes a nest where the Aflac Duck perches as the commercial closes.

Styled by the Duck on Social Media

Fans of the Aflac Duck on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will get to see even more of the Aflac Duck's creative hair styling in the coming months. He may not have passed beauty school, but the Aflac Duck is a brilliant beauty school hair model and will show off several iconic styles of his own online.

The Aflac Duck also will invite his followers to snap a selfie and post it on Twitter using the hashtag #DuckSalon for a chance to see what inventive hairdo he would give them. In one day – the average amount of time it takes Aflac to process most individual claims – the Aflac Duck will tweet select images back to a few lucky fans showing them their new look, styled by the Duck.

Though he is mainly known for one hairstyle – neatly combed white feathers – the Aflac Duck understands that some of his fans have furry friends at home who aren't always dressed the part. As a fun extension of the "Duck Salon" commercial, the Aflac Duck will ask followers to send him entertaining pictures of their pets' creatively groomed locks. The Duck will select his favorite submissions to share with his entire online community.

To learn more about these social media initiatives, fans can follow the Aflac Duck on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information on One Day Pay^SM, only by Aflac, visit aflac.com/onedaypay.

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the work site. Through its trailblazing One Day Pay^SM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is a leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac individual and group insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For nine consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2015, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 17^th consecutive year. Also, in 2015, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 14th time, ranking the company No. 1 in innovation for the insurance, life and health category. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day Pay^SM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.

Media contact – Kip Havel, 706.243.5543 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Aflac