COLUMBUS, GA – (June 1) – Aflac, the company that pays policyholders cash benefits fast when they are sick or hurt has teamed with the Mother Nature Network today to unveil a new interactive section of the MNN Web site titled “Earth Lessons With the Aflac Duck.” The site features the Aflac Duck as a feathery eco-friend with a special flair for entertaining and teaching children about going green.
“Earth Lessons With the Aflac Duck” features three sections consisting of video tutorials on water conservation, air pollution and recycling. Children and parents visiting each section can view informative and educational tutorials, and answer questions related to the video. Children taking the quiz can try to make the Aflac Duck quack his famous “Aflaaac!” with each correct answer. Incorrect responses elicit a prompt to try again.
The MNN site, which has risen to become one of the Internet's most visited resources, will include links to aflac.com and feature online testimonials from members of Aflac’s Green Committee, chronicle volunteers of the month and highlight a special video about Aflac’s commitment to the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorder Services at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“Whether children at play or parents making important decisions about how to protect their family’s finances if they become hurt or sick, everyone loves the comforting quack of the Aflac Duck,” Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Charney said. “Collaborating with the Mother Nature Network enables Aflac to educate more families about our brand, our products, our philanthropy and our commitment to social responsibility.”
"Teaching young people about the role that the environment plays in their lives is critically important," said Joel Babbit, CEO and co-founder of MNN. "And who better to do that than the Aflac Duck? It is one of the world's most familiar and well-liked characters, and is closely connected to water, land and air issues. Having Aflac partner with us on this program is a source of great pride."
Through its SmartGreen program, Aflac strives to be a good steward of its business and our planet. The company is dedicated to wisely choosing, using and disposing of the resources required to conduct our business. Although Aflac’s environmental impact is minimal due to the nature of our operations, the company is always looking for innovative ways to increase efficiencies while reducing our impact on the environment. The company has initiated paper reduction and recycling programs that have saved an estimated 5,000 trees and reduced air pollutants by more than 37,000 lbs annually.
Launched in January 2009, MNN.com is ranked No. 6 worldwide among the more than 680 Web sites ranked in Alexa Information Services Environment category based on visits and page views.
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 been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for three consecutive years and has also 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 Mother Nature Network
Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) is one of the world's leading resources for news and information on environmental and social responsibility issues — providing the most accurate, unbiased and up-to-date reports available on the Internet. Launched in January 2009, MNN serves more than a million visitors each month from over 220 different countries. Among the over 6,800 sites in Alexa Information Services Environmental category, MNN is ranked No. 6 worldwide — surpassed only by sites primarily for government agencies, such as the EPA, NOAA and National Park Service. It has achieved traffic increases every quarter since its launch, with more than 1.8 million visits and more than 19 million page views in May 2010. While other sites present related information in technical and academic terms, MNN is designed for a mainstream consumer and business audience. The majority of its content is original, covering a comprehensive scope of topics with engaging, easy-to-understand graphics, videos, interactive features and articles. Time called it "the new green CNN.” It was selected as the best Great Green Idea at Fortune's 2010 Green Summit. The Associated Press profiled it in Green Machine, and Fast Company labeled it Best of the Breed and the USA Today of Sustainability. MNN also takes a very different approach from the traditional advertising model followed by most sites. The effectiveness of this model has attracted many of the world's top companies as sponsors including Aflac, American Express, AT&T, Best Buy, Clorox, The Coca-Cola Company, Dell, GE, Georgia-Pacific, MillerCoors, Pfizer and Southern Company.
Media Contacts:
Laura Kane
Aflac Incorporated
706.593.0786
lkane@aflac.com
Jon A. Sullivan
Aflac Incorporated
706.573.7610
jsullivan@aflac.com
Bertha Díaz
Conexión
786.206.4303
bertha@prconexion.com
Analyst and Investment Contact:
Kenneth S. Janke Jr.
Aflac Incorporated
1.800.235.2667, Option 3
Fax: 706.324.6330
kjanke@aflac.com