COLUMBUS, Ga., Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, a leading
provider of supplemental insurance in the U.S., announced today
that the company has been ranked No. 15 in the 2021 American
Innovation Index™ (Aii) and No. 1 in the life and disability
insurance category.
Aflac Lands Top-15 Spot on the 2021
American Innovation Index
The Aii is a joint project with Fordham
University's Gabelli School of Business, the Norwegian
School of Economics and market research firm Rockbridge Associates,
Inc. The American Innovation Index is unique in that it measures
innovation from the customer's point of view rather than relying on
expert opinions that bypass what customers actually experience,
according to the Aii website. This is the fourth time Aflac has
been named to the prestigious list.
Aflac also ranked No. 11 in the Social Innovation Index™ (Sii),
once again coming in at No. 1 in the life and disability insurance
category. The Sii measures a company's ability to create positive
social and environmental change and the degree to which it embodies
responsible business.
Since 2018, Aflac has distributed more than 12,000 of its
award-winning My Special Aflac Ducks® to children in
the United States, Japan and Northern
Ireland. The innovative robotic duck is specifically
designed to address the needs of children facing cancer and
includes an interactive app that children can use to conduct
medical play. Beginning in early 2022, Aflac will expand its
successful My Special Aflac Duck program to children with
sickle cell disease. The comforting companion will be updated with
new accessories to reflect the specific needs of children suffering
the inherited blood disease that disproportionately affects the
African American community.
"As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear
that the state of work and life has changed. It is essential that
companies like Aflac adapt and innovate in order to serve our
customers, generate revenues, provide great jobs for our employees
and make meaningful contributions to the community," said Aflac
U.S. President Teresa
White. "We've adopted new technologies and innovative
approaches that have enabled us to work more colloboratively –
driving us forward as we seek to emerge from the global pandemic
stronger than ever. This recognition from the American Innovation
Index is a testament to the hard work and innovative approach
driving how we serve to our customers, stakeholders and valued
employees."
The American Innovation Index is a multi-year research
initiative that scores and ranks U.S. companies on its "innovation"
in delivering products and services and "social innovation" in
benefiting society and the environment. Companies who invest in
customer-perceived innovation see the benefit to their bottom
line.
"The pandemic continues to challenge companies to adapt their
business models at a faster rate than in normal times," said Lerzan
Aksoy, Ph.D., professor of marketing at Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business.
"The American Innovation Index recognizes the companies with the
highest innovation index scores based on customer ratings. The
results show that customers are noticing the speed of innovation by
top companies in response to these turbulent times."
For more information about the Aii and Sii, including a full
list of company rankings, visit
www.americaninnovationindex.com
About Aflac Incorporated
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is a Fortune 500 company helping
provide protection to more than 50 million people through its
subsidiaries in Japan and the
U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer, by paying cash
fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six
decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries
have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not
financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading
provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan, where it insures 1 in 4 households. For
15 consecutive years, Aflac Incorporated has been recognized by
Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2021,
Fortune included Aflac Incorporated on its list of World's Most
Admired Companies for the 20th time, and Bloomberg added Aflac
Incorporated to its Gender-Equality Index, which tracks the
financial performance of public companies committed to supporting
gender equality through policy development, representation and
transparency, for the second consecutive year. To find out how to
get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover, get to know
us at Aflac.com or Aflac.com/Espanol.
About the American Innovation Index
The Aii scores and ranks the innovativeness of U.S. companies
based on their customers' experiences. The fourth annual study was
conducted in July-August 2021 and
covers 175 firms from 20 industries, such as airlines, hotels,
banks, TV and internet service providers, wireless phone providers,
manufacturers and retailers. The study surveyed 6,279 consumers and
covered over 28,000 customer-company relationships. To date, no
large-scale, scientifically vetted measure of customer-perceived
innovation exists in the United
States.
About Fordham University
Fordham University offers
exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across
nine schools. Fordham awards
baccalaureate, graduate and professional degrees to approximately
15,000 students.
About Rockbridge Associates, Inc.
Rockbridge Associates, Inc. is an outcome-based market research
firm that has been advising Fortune 500s, mid-sized firms, and
nonprofits on their innovation and marketing strategy for over two
decades. www.rockresearch.com
About the Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics, one of the leading business
schools in Europe, launched the
Norwegian Innovation Index in 2016 and partnered with Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business and
Rockbridge Associates to replicate the methodology in the U.S.
# # #
Media contact – Darcy Brito,
706.505.9762 or dbrito@aflac.com
Analyst and investor contact – David A.
Young, 706.596.3264 or dyoung@aflac.com
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SOURCE Aflac Incorporated