Charles M. SchulzMetLife's mascot, for basically forever, has always been Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. Unfortunately, for lovers of the iconic Charles M. Schulz characters, they'll have to say goodbye to the famous cartoon beagle. Esther Lee, global chief marketing officer of MetLife, said in a press release, "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." She continued, "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." Some would say this is a blockheaded move (get it?) but, we guess a company has to change it up every once and a while.
Thankfully, it's not like Snoopy is going away forever or anything, you just won't see him in ads, or on MetLife's famous blimp. The new logo, in case you're curious, will be a blue and green letter M. Kind of snooze-city, but to each his own. The new look is supposed to promote a "clean, modern aesthetic," and represent "life, renewal and energy." Um, hello? Don't Snoopy and the gang totally represent those things as well? Le sigh. So sad.
This break up is pretty tragic when it comes to celebrity splits. Everyone will always remember his smiling face dressed in his trusty vintage pilot uniform. The insurance company has used The Peanuts fam since the '80s, as you can see from the adorably retro commercial featuring Snoopy and Lucy. Charlie Brown even voiced some ads, and many featured characters like Peppermint Patty, Woodstock, Schroeder and Marcie to name a few. At least we still have It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to watch this Halloween.