Oregon or Auburn?

Now for a little fun...
The following article came from the NY Times. Enjoy!
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January 9, 2011
Oregon or Auburn? The Aflac Duck Is Torn

By KEN BELSON

What is a duck — or more specifically, the Aflac duck — to do on Monday night when the Oregon Ducks play the Auburn Tigers in the Bowl Championship Series title game?

The marketing gurus at the insurance company Aflac posed that tongue-in-cheek question on the duck’s Facebook page on Dec. 28. As the company’s ubiquitous mascot, the duck presumably should side with Oregon. Then again, Aflac’s headquarters in Columbus, Ga., are about 30 minutes from Auburn, Ala., and the Tigers are a favorite of many of the company’s 4,000 employees there.


For several days, a quiet debate ensued, with supporters of both teams posting comments on the duck’s Facebook page to justify its allegiance. Since the holidays ended, there has been a 3,000 percent increase in traffic compared with the reaction to a typical post on the duck’s page, which includes contests and an assortment of nonsports issues.

Some posts about the B.C.S. game included photos of tigers and eagles eating ducks.

Aflac started the debate on a lark; it is not a sponsor of the game. But the response led the company to try unsuccessfully to buy television advertising during the game. Aflac does not plan to do any guerilla marketing in Glendale, Ariz., where the game is being played.

Still, the reaction is another reminder that despite the best-laid plans of marketing executives, some of the most effective advertising is unintentional and unpredictable.

“The funny thing about Facebook is you never know how things will take off and leapfrog,” said Laura Kane, a company spokeswoman. “It is really humbling when this kind of organic thing happens.”