Aflac cans Gilbert Gottfried for Japan jokes
After more than a decade as the grating voice behind Aflac's web-footed mascot, comedian Gilbert Gottfried has been fired for making jokes on Twitter about the devastating Japanese tsunami. On Saturday, Gottfried reportedly posted a series of about a dozen tweets making light of the natural disaster. They include such zingers as: "Japan is really advanced. They don’t go to the beach. The beach comes to them.” (All his posts have since been deleted.) "Gilbert's recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac," Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said. "Aflac Japan — and by extension, Japan itself — is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times." It probably doesn't help Gottfried's case that Aflac does 75% of its business in Japan and had already pledged $1.2 million for recovery. Photo credit: Reuters.
- Time.com Is on a Hiring Spree
- Pinterest Plays Coy on Ads, but Expect Commerce to Lead
- Yankees, Manchester City Team Up for MLS Launch
- ESPN's Cherie Cohen Headed to NBCUniversal to Focus on Cable
- Spotify Launches Music Charts
- Digital Dignitaries Debate Display's Death
- NBC Makes Bet on Fake Reality
- Cramer-Krasselt Beats the Odds to Keep Porsche
- Samsung Presents Advertising's Most Idiotically Primitive Husband Ever
- The New York Times Reinvents the Boring Banner Ad
- Puma's Dance Dictionary Will Leave You at a Loss for Words
- Geico Makes the Perfect Ad for Hump Day
- Time.com Is On a Hiring Spree
- Nutella Thanks Its Biggest Fan, Founder of World Nutella Day, by Sending Her a Cease-and-Desist
- Ad of the Day: Nike
- Tablets Overtake Smartphones as the Big Shopping Device
AdFreak is your daily blog of the best and worst of creativity in advertising, media, marketing and design. Follow us as we celebrate (and skewer) the latest, greatest, quirkiest and freakiest commercials, promos, trailers, posters, billboards, logos and package designs around. Edited by Adweek's Tim Nudd. Updated every weekday, with a weekly recap on Saturdays.


Email
Print







