MetLife launches new global brand platform driven by customer insights

New York, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2016 – MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) today launched its new global brand platform under the tagline “MetLife. Navigating life together.” The brand brings to life MetLife’s role as a trusted partner to its customers as they navigate life’s twists and turns and includes an updated visual identity, logo and tagline. This will mark the most significant change to the MetLife brand in over 30 years.

 

Around the globe, change is happening faster than ever before. MetLife conducted research among more than 55,000 customers worldwide and found one universal truth: consumers are overwhelmed with the pace of change and are looking for a trusted partner to help them navigate these changes.

 

“To adapt to our changing world, we are re-thinking how we do business. 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. “Our new brand reflects our company’s transformation and differentiates us in the marketplace, ultimately driving greater value for our customers and shareholders.”

 

To remove the complexities traditionally associated with insurance, MetLife is making substantial changes to its customer experiences. The MetLife brand refresh will ultimately impact all customer touch-points from the website to customer service to its sales process to ensure a more focused, simplified interaction.

 

“We are embarking on a journey to upend the long-entrenched norms of the insurance industry. We are focused on humanizing our industry and designing every customer experience to reflect the modern company we’re becoming,” said Esther Lee, global chief marketing officer of MetLife. “Throughout our nearly 150 year history, we’ve always played a very important role in our customers’ lives. Today, we’re evolving our brand to express this important role – our noble purpose – to be the trusted partner to help our customers navigate their changing worlds.”

 

MetLife’s new visual branding is built around a clean, modern aesthetic. The striking new brandmark brings contemporary blue and green colors together in a symbol of partnership to form an M for MetLife. 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.

 

As the company moves in this new direction, it will phase out its use of Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang. “We brought in Snoopy over 30 years ago to make our company more friendly and approachable during a time when insurance companies were seen as cold and distant. Snoopy helped drive our business and served an important role at the time,” said Lee. “We have great respect for these iconic characters. However, as we focus on our future, it’s important that we associate our brand directly with the work we do and the partnership we have with our customers.”

 

MetLife will be rolling out the new brand globally through 2017. The new design system is now live across mobile, social and web properties. In the U.S., print ads will appear in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post beginning Oct. 21 and new broadcast ads will be on air in December. Additional advertising is running in Mexico, Korea and Japan.

 

More information can be found at www.metlife.com.

 

About MetLife
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.