The Aflac duck is silenced in this ad. But he’ll soon get his voice back.

Aflac has posted a job opening on its website for the voice of the AFLAC duck, a position once held by Gilbert Gottfried. That is, before he pulled a Kenneth Cole in insensitive tweets posted in the wake of the devastation in Japan.

Duck wannabes can apply online or at live casting call. Online apps must be submitted by April 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, and live auditions will be held in select cities on March 31 and April 1.

Lippe Taylor president Jim Joseph praises the steps that Aflac has taken on his blog The Experience Effect, first for “very unceremoniously” cutting ties with Gottfried (which is what Dior did in the wake of the John Galliano scandal) and then for taking the auditions public.

“Involve your consumers in your quest and turn a public pr nightmare into a positive,” he writes.

In today’s Spin the Agencies, politics, marketing, healthcare, and an RFP.

Levine Communications Office is working with Newt Gingrich to publicize his latest book, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. Former President Reagan’s centennial was on Sunday.

Lippe Taylor has entered into a strategic partnership with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA). The firm will provide a number of services, including SEO and SEM counsel and marketing analysis. The relationship will extend through 2011.

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Lifestyle/women focused focused agency Lippe Taylor hired Jim Joseph as partner and president. Joseph has spent the majority of his career with Publicis Groupe, most recently with the holding company’s Saatchi and Saatchi Wellness agency.

Joseph will work to broaden the agency’s offerings to include more marketing and digital advertising services. Lippe Taylor Founder and CEO Maureen Lippe called the hire “a match made in heaven.”

RELATED: Karen Davis Joins Lippe Taylor as VP

Former Zeno Group VP Karen Davis joined lifestyle/women focused agency Lippe Taylor as a Vice President in the agency’s consumer lifestyle and healthcare divisions, it was announced today.

“Karen brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise with major brands. Her strategic counsel combined with her ability to lead account teams with great enthusiasm will make her a huge asset to our clients,” said Maureen Lippe, President of Lippe Taylor in a statement.

Davis was at Zeno Group for six years, where she worked with clients including Evenflo baby products, SCA TENA, ASPCA and AstraZeneca’s “Many Faces of Breast Cancer” initiative. In previous positions, she has worked with clients such as National Geographic, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Target.