MetLife Parts Ways With Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang

Snoopy and the Peanuts gang have been let go by MetLife as the insurance company launches a new global brand platform.

The company's new visual branding will be built around a clean and modern aesthetic as it shifts its branding strategy.

"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," Esther Lee, global chief marketing officer of MetLife, said in a press release.

MetLife brought in Snoopy more than 30 years ago to make the company more friendly and approachable during a time when insurance companies were viewed as "cold and distant," MetLife explained in the press release. The company said it has great respect for the iconic characters that helped it drive business.

The Wall Street Journal reported the company will mostly sell to corporate clients in the U.S. after the first half of 2017, reducing the company's need to reach consumers. The Journal also reported the latest contract signed by the company to use Snoopy and the Peanuts gang in 2014 costs between $10 million to $15 million a year.

Still, it will take a while to completely fade out the character synonymous with the brand that also appears on the iconic blimp. The new design system is live across mobile, social and web properties, and advertisements are set to run in major U.S. newspapers starting Oct. 21 and broadcast ads will follow in December. The company will also run advertising in Mexico, Korea and Japan.

Image Credit: Cory W. Watts via Flickr Creative Commons