“MetLife. Navigating life together.”
That’s the official slogan for MetLife’s new “global brand platform.” Beachgoers won’t ever see this new slogan trailing behind Snoopy’s famous Sopwith Camel biplane, because MetLife is ending its 30-year ad partnership with the beloved cartoon beagle and the other Peanuts characters created by the late Charles Schulz.
“This decision wasn’t taken lightly,” said a MetLife spokesperson. In global surveys, MetLife found that only 3% of institutional and individual customers mentioned the insurer when asked what they associated Snoopy with. Only 18% mentioned MetLife when asked what company they associated Snoopy with.
“Snoopy did his job,” the spokesperson said. Clients have always equated Snoopy with friendliness and approachability, which helped MetLife 30 years ago when insurers were seen as remote. Today, MetLife wants to be seen around the world as “forward-thinking” and “trustworthy,” and that’s not exactly how Snoopy is perceived.
“Customers want something different. They are overwhelmed by all the changes in their lives, and they need someone to help them manage it all. They’re not necessarily looking for a total solution, but they want someone to be there for them throughout their lives,” the spokesperson said, adding that the audience of the new messaging includes both institutional and retail customers. MetLife conducts retail business abroad, but not in the U.S.
“We are moving away from a traditional product-development model to one driven by customer insights,” said Steven A. Kandarian, chairman, president and chief executive officer of MetLife, Inc. The company said it will “remove the complexities traditionally associated with insurance” and create “simplified interactions” with clients.
MetLife’s new mark is a stylized M with two overlapping half-parabolas, one green and one in MetLife’s trademark blue, which is closer to a Dodger blue than an IBM blue. The corners are rounded and the bullet-shaped overlap is a darker shade of MetLife blue.
“The iconic MetLife blue carries forth the brand’s legacy, but has been brightened and now lives alongside a new color—green—which represents life, renewal and energy. The broader MetLife brand palette expands to include a range of vibrant secondary colors, reflecting the diverse lives of its customers,” the release said.
MetLife will introduce the new brand globally through 2017. The new design system is currently live across mobile, social and web properties. In the U.S., print ads will appear in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post beginning Oct. 21 and new broadcast ads will be on air in December. Additional advertising is running in Mexico, Korea and Japan.
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