The Aflac Duck Vs. The Gap Goat…but make it March Madness
This March Madness, the Aflac Duck is back—and he’s bringing in some serious backup: Coach K and Coach Dawn Staley, two legendary G.O.A.T.s helping take on the Duck’s not-so-legendary (but still persistent) rival, The Gap Goat. Coach K is living his best retired life when the barnyard drama kicks off again—and the Duck’s ready for battle.
Working with Coach K and Coach Staley was truly a joy—they’re both incredibly kind, wildly talented, and absolute pros. Bonus highlight: Coach K took a random photo of me and my creative partner, and I like to believe it’s now in a rotating digital picture frame in his kitchen. A career milestone, honestly.
Broadcast: “Sitting Poolside with Coach K & Coach Dawn Staley” :30s
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As an Art Director, I’m always looking for ways to elevate and push the work visually—and this campaign gave me the chance to do exactly that. We managed to sneak in a ton of fun, unexpected design details: patches on the Duck’s outfit, custom binoculars, a book titled “Birds for Birds Who Love Birds”, an Aflac-branded sign, bird-sized speedos, and more.
A friend even told me our spot aired around the same time as the Season 2 trailer for The White Lotus, and the set design vibes matched perfectly—the ultimate compliment, really. And to think… it used to be a hard rule that the Duck had to be naked. Now he’s out here in speedos and vests. What’s next? Fashion week?
Broadcast: “Coach K. & Coach Staley Go Birdwatching” :30
Social Videos
This campaign is currently live and rolling out slowly. Check back for more updates as the season progresses!
Testing
Each client approaches broadcast differently, Aflac is more traditional when it comes to testing. For this project, we did photomatics for around 7 scripts. I was able to direct each scene for the animatics team to work their magic. Additionally, you’ll see that our talent changed from concept to production (for the better). Celebrities can have busy schedules and existing contracts that can cause hiccups along the way. Ultimately, our team was able to pivot and change our concept to be more impactful with our new GOAT.
Final Four OOH
Both the Men’s and Women’s championship games were in Texas this year. For each city, we took over OOH placements around the arenas as well as created custom bus wraps, trolly wraps, and even a digital Taxi hologram car wrap.
Behind The Scenes
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Agency: Dagger
CD: Brandon Hampton
Lead ACD: Melanie Malone
Copywriter: Sam Fuller
Designers: Mandy Rahiya, Forrest Newton
ACD Art: Carmelle Kendall
3D Animator & Editor: Amario Andre, Cory Di Mino