Aflac Tops Health Insurance Field in Brand Excellence for Fifth Straight Year

COLUMBUS, Ga., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the company that pays policyholders cash fast when they are sick or hurt, scored highest in the Health Insurance field in the 2010 American Brand Excellence Award survey sponsored by the City Business Journals Network (CBJN). This marks the fifth straight year Aflac has captured the number one spot in the Health Insurance category. Aflac scored highest in its class for customer service, relevance, momentum (growing in popularity), value, differentiation (forward thinking) and ethics.

"We are proud that our company faced the challenges of a tough economy and still stands above the competition," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "This recognition shows that our brand is strong and that our products are recognized for the value they bring to businesses and policyholders."

The winning companies were chosen by more than 1,700 business owners and managers of small and mid-sized firms (who participated in CBJN's annual proprietary study) as the brands that best meet the needs of their businesses. More than 250 business brands were rated in the nationwide study.

"Aflac is a strong brand, especially in the health insurance category," said Godfrey Phillips, VP of research for CBJN.  "They have weathered the recessionary times maintaining a very positive place in our survey of American brands."

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For 55 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. Aflac has also been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for three consecutive years and has been named by the Reputation Institute as the Most Reputable Company in the Global Insurance Industry for two consecutive years. In 2010, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the twelfth consecutive year. In addition, Fortune magazine ranked Aflac No. 1 on its global list of the Most Admired Companies in the Life and Health Insurance category. And Aflac was named by Forbes magazine as America's Best-Managed Company in the Insurance 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, visit aflac.com.

About City Business Journals Network

City Business Journals Network is an organization of 64 member publications located in major markets across the country. CBJN's member publications have a combined circulation of over 730,000 and a readership approaching four million. Based in Charlotte, NC, CBJN has sales offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. It is a subsidiary of American City Business Journals, a unit of Advance Publishing, Inc., whose properties include Condé Nast Publications and the Fairchild and Golf Digest Companies. CBJN is located at 120 West Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28202; phone 1-800-433-4565; citybiznetwork.com.

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SOURCE Aflac