The first version of this idea they ran as a commercial was really fun, with the duck vs. the pigeon, with the duck doing the break dance moves, etc., and handing wads of cash to the Aflac customer after every move. I think this was probably a crowd pleaser, and so Aflac most likely decided they’d like more of the same. But too much of a good thing can make something sweet turn sour, and sometimes less is more.
This new ad with the duck and the pigeons doing the dance-off is a good example of more being less. They simply overdid it, and the once great idea jumped the shark. Or at least, that’s what I thought when I saw it for the first time. (BTW: It only gets worse after the first viewing.) But the first version of this idea in an ad was great! (The previous ad, that is: the one I'm attaching below.)
What the Aflac guys need to do is just keep on creating great new ideas for ads, rather than trying an overindulgent retread of an old one that they liked. Do this too many times, and they’ll become like the disaster that is the Capital One ad campaign: a tired, outdated idea beaten to death through overuse. The great thing about the Aflac campaign over the past couple of years is that they have had a bunch of great different ones, one after the other, beginning with the Superduck one. Just get back on that roll, and they’ll be the kinds of ads we love to see!
Here’s the old version of the duck dance ad (really fun!):
I haven’t seen the new one up yet, but you can’t miss it when it comes on TV. See if you don’t agree that it’s a bit much.
