Al Johnson
Second Vice President, Director of Branding and Advertising, Aflac Inc.
On August 12, 2006, San Diego State University proudly hosted the 4th Annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic. The event is the nation's elite high school baseball showcase featuring the top 38 rising senior players in an East vs. West match-up. Since 2003, 29 Aflac All-Americans have been taken in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, including the No. 1 overall draft picks in 2004 and 2005. The 2006 draft saw 11 Aflac All-Americans selected in the first round. Overall, 114 Aflac All-Americans have been drafted by Major League teams since the event began in 2003.
More than just an event to showcase the top high school baseball players in the nation, the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic is also a major fundraising vehicle for the fight against pediatric cancer. Since 2001, Aflac has raised more than $1 million through the sale of Aflac Holiday Ducks, with proceeds benefiting children’s hospitals around the country for research and treatment of pediatric cancer. Overall, Aflac has donated nearly $30 million to help fight the disease.
While out in San Diego, Aflac’s Second Vice President and Director of Branding and Advertising, Al Johnson, graciously took the time to visit the Sports MBA classroom to talk to the students about the Aflac Company and its baseball affiliation. Mr. Johnson joined Aflac in September of 2000 as manager of corporate advertising. He has more than 15 years of experience in the branding, advertising and marketing arena, including seven years with various advertising agencies working on national and regional business-to-business and consumer brands.
 Al Johnson’s job duties are a perfect example of the lesser known opportunities that exist in the sports business landscape. Aflac’s growth strategy in the United States has hinged on its ability to resonate in the minds of Americans as a credible and valuable product, and Al Johnson has played a critical role in achieving this affect on the American people through sponsorships with Major League Baseball and of the All-American High School Baseball Classic. Award-winning, and hailed as perhaps the most effective marketing campaigns in history, the Aflac duck series of commercials has helped position Aflac among the most recognizable brands in America. Mr. Johnson detailed the evolution of, and the creative process involved in developing the Aflac brand. He explained the importance of tying a brand to culturally significant events or causes for enhanced brand value, and thus the reasoning behind Aflac’s enthusiastic support in the fight against pediatric cancer, and the sponsorship of high school and professional baseball.
Al Johnson ended his presentation by providing the class with a sneak preview of the next Aflac commercial to be released, as well as one commercial still in the development process. The students were given the chance to view two different endings for the latter commercial, and then discuss the merits of each. Both endings left the viewer with a positive impression, albeit quite different impressions. The ultimate decision for Aflac was which ending best fit the Aflac brand, and that is the difficult task of a professional brand manager.
The students and staff of SDSU’s Sports Business Management MBA program wish to thank Al Johnson for his valuable insight, and look forward to seeing him again when SDSU looks to support the 5th Annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic in 2007.
|
