Aflac

Written by Phineas Upham

Aflac Insurance has a cute corporate mascot, and a tremendous customer base. It is one of the United States’ largest supplemental insurance providers, and is best known for offering insurance coverage through payroll deduction. Aflac claims that it insures one in four households in Japan, covering families with financial protections in the event of accidents or illness. It is also Japan’s largest life insurer, although it is a US-based insurance company.

John, Paul and William Amos were three brothers who founded the company in 1955. They called it American Family Life Insurance Company of Columbus, changing to the initials “AFLAC” in 1990. Its official name remains American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.

It signed more than six thousand policy holders during its first year of business, and was one of the first companies to offer insurance for cancer beginning in 1958. It shifted to the workplace in 1964, funding its policy through payroll deductions in partnership with employers.

The company is headquartered in Downtown Columbus, Georgia, and it also has offices in Japan. It’s the largest provider of insurance that is “guaranteed-renewal,” and it is also the largest insurance provider in Japan.

The Aflac duck is one of the most iconic characters in advertising, and has resulted in Aflac’s wide market penetration. The ducks in the commercials used to be real. The company was supplied by Metzer Farms, which gave Aflac several chicks that would eventually grow into the Aflac duck.