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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1. From the Chairman 2. Our Brand History 3. The MetLife Brand Today 4. Principles of Brand Management 5. MetLife and Its Brand Strategy 6. Keeping the MetLife Brand Strong 7. Brand Glossary 3 5 9 13 17 27 31
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FROM THE CHAIRMAN
“ The MetLife brand, and all it stands for, is a powerful competitive advantage as we aggressively pursue our vision of Building Financial Freedom for Everyone®.”
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T O M Y M E T L I F E A S S O C I AT E S :
When you think of what makes our company great, several key attributes come to mind, including trustworthiness, approachability, and financial strength. And over our proud history, the MetLife brand has not only encompassed these attributes, it has celebrated them! Of course, our brand has evolved over the years, and as we move forward in a demanding and ever-changing marketplace, it will continue to reflect new growth opportunities, innovative products, and excellent customer service. The MetLife brand, and all it stands for, is a powerful competitive advantage as we aggressively pursue our vision of Building Financial Freedom for Everyone. This is especially true as we expand our product offerings in the U.S., including MetLife Bank and Critical Illness coverage, and move ahead with our international growth strategy. This document provides a history of MetLife’s brand, tells the story of where the MetLife brand is today, and provides a roadmap of how we can keep our brand strong through an effective brand management program. We are all ambassadors of the MetLife brand. That’s why I ask you to take the time to review this document and, more importantly, take an active role in helping us continue to harness the power of MetLife’s vibrant brand.
The Term Paper on Hershey History Financial Report Analysis Company Profile
Financial report analysis of Hershey Foods Corporation, Hershey Foods HistoryINTRODUCTIONHershey Foods Corporation is engaged, with its subsidiaries, in the manufacture, distribution and sale of confectionery and grocery products. The Company's principal product groups include confectionery products sold in the form of bar goods, bagged items and boxed items, as well as grocery products in the ...
Robert H. Benmosche Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
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O U R B R A N D H I S TO RY
The story behind the success of our brand goes back to our roots. Our brand has become synonymous with financial strength, trustworthiness, dependability, and security. Building financial freedom and putting our expertise and resources where we can make a difference are inextricably linked with the MetLife brand.
Witness our company’s impressive history since its beginning in a two-room office in 1868 and its impact on individuals around the world.
We provided our headquarters to the Red Cross for use as an administrative relief center for survivors of the Titanic, financed the Empire State Building, rehabilitated foreclosed farms throughout the Great Depression, helped fund the construction of Rockefeller Center, were the largest private contributor to the Allied cause—providing nearly $4 billion in U.S. and Canadian bonds—during World War II, first opened doors internationally with operations in Korea and Taiwan in 1989, and were the first insurance company to pay claims following the attacks on September 11, 2001.
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When the company installed the first major computer system in the industry in 1954, our slogan
“Metropolitan service is as local as Main Street…as close as your phone…” positioned
MetLife as a leader in customer service. In 1985, we introduced Snoopy® and the other PEANUTS® characters, along with a new theme — “Get Met. It Pays.®” The instant recognition and universal appeal of the Peanuts characters made them ideal for connecting with our customers. Following our transformation from a mutually owned company to a public company in 2002, we set out a clearly defined vision and moved in a new direction with the introduction of a new idea in the marketplace— “have
The Business plan on Life Cycle Financial Planning
At the beginning of brainstorming for this paper, I was thinking about to write something about Chinese pension system. But during the material collection, I found that China’s pension system and ways to achieve people’s financial goals are not well developed, we all know that the system obviously had to be changed. Starting in 1997, there was a shift of the burden of pension provisions from only ...
you met life today?®” Emphasizing MetLife’s continued vitality and growth,
this theme presents MetLife as a company poised to do business in the 21st century. Yet it also capitalizes on the equity our brand has built over its long history — making it clear that MetLife remains a solid company that people trust.
LIFT FOR BRAND TIMELINE >>
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MetLife Brand Evolution
It’s a feeling of protection, personal connection and response to customer’s needs—in good times and bad…
1920s 1868
From a two-room office in New York City, a brand was born…
to
1900
1940s
The early roots of the MetLife brand began with a deep commitment to protecting, educating and serving both customers and community alike.
…that built the strong foundation on
which the MetLife brand continues to grow and evolve.
With MetLife’s vitality and continued growth, the brand now reaches for a new level, not just life protection, not just making people’s lives easier, but truly helping people build financial freedom.
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If you knew you had a safety net, how high would you climb? Our advisors can create a personal plan to build your financial freedom. So you can focus on what really matters. Click metlife.com, call 800-MetLife or stop by for more on the range of products in our Protection and
1960s 1980s
2000
& beyond
have you met life today?
SM
© 2001 Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., NY, NY 10010 L01034RUL MLIC-LD, PEANUTS © UFS, Inc.
EBONY
Ad No.: M6857Av2 4C Bleed Bleed: 8-3/4″ x 11-1/4″ Trim: 7-7/8″ x 10-1/2″ Safety: 7″ x 9-3/4″ PARENTS BLACK ENTERPRISE AMERICAN LEGACY SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FORBES ESSENCE NEWSWEEK GOLF MONEY BUSINESS WEEK This advertisement prepared by Young & Rubicam, N.Y. (36-1-1) KS0401 Client: MetLife Product: Individual Business Codes: (MET/IB) Art— C. Herrli Acc’t Mgt.— J. Gordis Copy— M. Paccione Art Buyer— XXXX Print Producer— K. Oetting
JOB NO. CONTACT
THE STUDIO
CLIENT
The Essay on Social Life And Customs In The 1400’s
It was a dark time for people living during the 1400’s also known as the 15th century. Renaissance art was blossoming and people wanting to learn about it and how all of it came to be was very interesting for the people of that time. There was also civil wars and battles happening off and on such as The War of the Roses as well as when Joan of Arc had led the French against English. This was also ...
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While being a leader in the community, the country and the world, as time went on, the MetLife brand continued to reinforce the personalized, hometown touch of this rapidly growing company.
Company Themes Through the Years
1909 1922 1923 1936 1954 1959 1964 1966 1970 1973 1978 1979 1985 2001
The Light That Never Fails. Not Best Because It’s Biggest — But Biggest Because It’s Best. Biggest in the World, More Assets, More Policyholders, Most insurance in force, More new insurance each year. Keep Healthy. Be Examined Regularly. Metropolitan service is as local as Main Street…as close as your phone. The Light That Never Fails. More choose Metropolitan Life — millions more than any other company. Metropolitan Life — protecting 1 out of 5 people in the U.S. and Canada. We sell life insurance. But our business is life. Metropolitan Life — where the future is now. Come to Metropolitan. Simplify your life. Metropolitan really stands by you. Get Met. It Pays. have you met life today?
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T H E M E T L I F E B R A N D T O D AY
Today, MetLife is recognized as a leader in financial services, grounded in life insurance but offering a broad array of products and services throughout the U.S. and in markets around the world.
Millions of customers worldwide and 88 of the Fortune 100 companies in the United States recognize and trust our name. MetLife owns one of the most powerful brand
names in the marketplace.
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A Heritage of Trust
Our research consistently demonstrates that the MetLife brand is recognized as a financially strong and trustworthy company that continues to be relied on by our customers when they need it most. This heritage of trust remains an important, even critical, foundation and is at the heart of everything we do.
A Broader Offering
MetLife’s long tradition as a leading life insurance provider is well recognized in the marketplace and strongly associated with our brand. The MetLife brand is also recognized for its expert role in providing employee benefits. Building on our history of anticipating and fulfilling evolving customer needs, MetLife continuously refines the range of products and services it provides. We understand the consumers’ desire to find trusted advisors who can address their financial issues so they can focus on other significant activities in their lives. We offer our expertise so customers can make informed choices about protection and wealth accumulation products that fit their financial objectives.
The Essay on Building A Brand And Customer’s View
Abstract Marketing plan is a way to secure the future of an investment and when there is a lack of strategic planning firms can jeopardize having a successful outcome. This paper reflects on the definition of marketing plan, scenarios of how a good and bad marketing strategy can impact an organization and a movie that failed in the box office due to bad marketing strategy. BUILDING A BRAND AND ...
A Global Brand
MetLife has been expanding its brand globally, in emerging markets throughout the world. Through our many established operations in Asia and our position as one of the top life insurers in Latin America, we are growing the strength of the MetLife brand.
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…the MetLife brand is recognized as a financially strong and trustworthy company that continues to be relied on by our customers when they need it most.
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P R I N C I P L E S O F B RA N D M A NAG E M E N T
As consumers we are influenced by a barrage of marketing mes-
…who we are and what we stand for.
stand for.
sages—in the grocery store, on billboards and, of course, flashing all over the Internet. Partly as a consequence of this competitive intensity, the importance of a strong brand is more crucial than ever.
Well-managed brands get stronger. Poorly managed brands lose their power. That’s why we remain focused on communicating the full value of the products and services that MetLife offers and on promoting an understanding of who we are and what we
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clarity coherence control
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Effective brand management is a creative, disciplined undertaking that requires the same attention that the management of any asset requires. Like all organizations that successfully manage their brands, MetLife focuses on three key principles— clarity, coherence, and control.
CLARITY. Customers and prospects are unlikely to make an effort to figure out what the MetLife brand offers, why our offering is superior to others, or what value we can deliver. At MetLife, brand management means we ensure that we articulate clearly and consistently what our brand is about and why it is preferable. COHERENCE. Effective brand communications are coherent and logical, and reinforce our brand promise to build financial freedom for everyone. The brand messages and presentation are consistent and, over time, tell and re-tell the big story, as well as create a framework for presenting other relevant messages. CONTROL. Control is crucial to any branding initiative. Good brand management offers guidelines and direction that are adaptable to marketing needs while still reinforcing a lucid and consistent message. The MetLife online brand center, where associates can learn about the many elements of the brand, provides employees with the tools and resources needed to communicate our brand in a consistent manner.
The Term Paper on The Phoenician Resort Service Customer Event
INTRODUCTION How can 130 acres of resort "nestle" anywhere, especially in the heart of a thriving metropolis known as "The Valley of the Sun" Yet, through the combination of landscaping and architecture, this slice of desert heaven does seem to discreetly nestle against Camelback Mountain, its sandstone terraces barely discernible. Even in the heart of Arizona's Sonoran desert, the well manicured ...
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M E T L I F E A N D I T S B R A N D S T R AT E G Y
A well-defined brand strategy is the first critical element of brand management and establishes clarity around the MetLife brand. Brand strategy is developed in a specific market context and includes many elements, such as a company’s vision, core values, brand positioning statement, supporting image attributes, as well as additional elements, such as theme or competency line. In practice, every associate calls on these elements to communicate the value of the brand with every customer interaction.
Brand Market Context
Every brand must be positioned firmly within the context of the environment in which it operates. For MetLife, this is the changing and increasingly competitive financial services industry. MetLife’s brand strategy meets the specific demands of this environment, is flexible enough to adapt to shifts in consumer behavior, and recognizes the company’s history and vision. Customer Sentiment and Behavior. The evolution in the financial services industry is coupled with an unprecedented shift in consumer attitudes and behavior. Driven by widespread marketplace dissatisfaction and declining trust in institutions, consumers are increasingly seeking more personal connections with brands. Leveraging our heritage of financial strength, approachability and trustworthiness, MetLife is addressing these new trends and consumer needs. They are reflected in the company’s vision, particularly in its statement of purpose and in brand positioning.
The Term Paper on The Creation of a Common Market for Financial Services in the European Union
Of all the global achievements in the last 50 years, economic integration in Europe may be considered as the most notable of all. From a continent separated by war and differences in culture, Europe has proceeded to become an economic and political leader today. The formation of the European Union (EU), the accession of the 15 European countries to the Community, and the introduction of a single ...
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MetLife Vision
THE METLIFE VISION IS COMPRISED OF OUR STATEMENT OF PURPOSE, OUR LONG-TERM GOAL, AND OUR CORE VALUES.
Statement of Purpose
TO BUILD FINANCIAL FREEDOM FOR EVERYONE.® Each word is deliberate. “Build” goes farther than “help” to suggest a partnership between MetLife and our customers. “Freedom” suggests the positive feeling people get when they are confident in their financial security and in control of their future. “For everyone” is a claim few financial service companies can make. MetLife aims to reach people at every stage of life and level of prosperity.
Long-Term Goal
TO BECOME A RECOGNIZED LEADER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, CONNECTEDNESS, AND CARING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES…IN THE “GIANT LEAGUE” WITH OVER 100 MILLION PEOPLE AS OUR CUSTOMERS BY THE YEAR 2010. “Relationship building” means earning the trust of our customers by understanding their individual needs and meeting these needs as they change over time. “Connectedness” suggests our ability to reach our customers — and their ability to reach us — through person-to-person contact or through technology. “Caring,” which market research tells us is already associated with MetLife, means enabling our customers to understand their alternatives and guiding them toward financial decisions that are right for them. Being in “the giant league” means achieving the earnings, ratings, and market capitalization that will put MetLife at the top of the list of financial service leaders.
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Values provide a strong foundation for the brand. MetLife’s core values reflect our heritage and convey the philosophy that governs our relationships with one another and with our customers. People Count. It’s all about people, MetLife’s key resource. MetLife will succeed because we are winning from within. Integrity and Honesty. Conducting all business endeavors with truth, sincerity, and fairness. Innovation. Continuously creating and introducing new and original ideas and ways of doing things. Financial Strength. Operating with an intense dedication to managing monetary resources for strong business results. Partnership. Functioning productively in teams toward a common purpose; realizing the collective power of diverse work groups. Personal responsibility. “Coming into your own,” performing as a leader to be really effective and successful by acting and making decisions independently to get results. We will be recognized as the standard in relationship building — making our mark in financial services where no one else has. We will be trusted by our customers, revered by our competitors — and anyone who comes in contact with our company will experience the strength of a giant combined with an entrepreneurial spirit. The most sought after people in the marketplace will “beat down the door” to work in our company — people will be on the edge of their seats every day to create and experiment with new ways of doing things and will be energized because they are impacting their environment and feel like winners. Our brand will be known the world over for empowering people to feel protected, guided, and hopeful about their lives.
Core Values
Vivid Description
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Bringing the MetLife Brand to Life
Brand Positioning Statement. The positioning statement brings the vision and core values forward in a way that is relevant to customers. It is the platform for market-facing communications about the MetLife brand.
MetLife is a leading international provider of insurance and other financial products that endeavors to build financial freedom for our customers so they can focus on what matters most in life.
Image Attributes. Image attributes help define the characteristics and personality of a brand, helping to ensure that all of our communications are consistent in tone and true to the character and aspirations of the MetLife brand.
Core Attributes
Trustworthy. Recognizes MetLife’s heritage and financial strength, enabling the brand to make, and keep, promises. Approachable. Furthers MetLife’s purpose to build financial freedom for everyone and the ability to work closely with customers and to convey our interest in doing so. Financially Strong. Speaks to MetLife’s ability to deliver when our clients need us.
Secondary Attributes
Smart. Suggests expertise, as well as a sophistication of approach. Innovative. Reflects the ability to provide leading product and service solutions, helping to maintain relevance in light of evolving market needs.
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The MetLife Theme. Our ambitious vision and aspirational positioning are expressed in the MetLife theme:
This theme shifts consumer thinking away from the historic associations that people may have with insurance—loss and catastrophe — towards the benefits of financial freedom, the opportunity to live a life of significance, however the customer defines it. This theme supports our efforts to build recognition of MetLife as a creative partner that plays a significant, helpful, and potentially transformative role in people’s lives, a proposition that research has shown has the power to differentiate the MetLife brand in an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace.
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Snoopy and the Peanuts Characters. Since 1985, MetLife has been associated successfully with Snoopy and other Peanuts characters. The Peanuts characters are well known, well liked, eminently believable and appeal to a broad range of age and income groups. They are distinctive, upbeat, personal, and very effective — qualities that are often missing from financial services companies’ communications.
As an iconic figure, Snoopy plays a positive role in differentiating the MetLife brand in the financial services marketplace. Snoopy conveys MetLife as a caring company, one that is easy to do business with and is associated with the trust that consumers have in us as a financially strong company that delivers on its promises. Even so, we need to be mindful that no one thing can wholly represent the full breadth and scope of everything our company stands for. As such, Snoopy should not be seen as a representative of MetLife, nor should any poses be used that portray the character in that manner. When used, Snoopy — always portrayed in poses that suggest openness and approachability — can help to further strengthen our brand recognition, or can act as an icon at company-sponsored events.
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The Way MetLife Goes to Market
In accordance with our vision, MetLife has developed a broad range of financial services and products that it offers in the marketplace. The growth in the breadth of our offering through partnerships and acquisitions has allowed the company to take its products and services to market through many operating companies, as well as branded products and services.
…MetLife has developed a broad range of financial services and products that it offers in the marketplace.
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MetLife Branded Offerings
All core offerings will be branded using the strong MetLife brand name and logo in its purest form — on a stand-alone basis.
This will enable us to leverage fully the existing strength of our brand and, over time, broaden its recognition as a provider of a full range of financial services and products.
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MetLife Companies. Other MetLife companies (among them New England Financial, GenAmerica Financial, Texas Life Insurance Company and Hyatt Legal Plans) are leaders in specific market segments and niches and leverage brands that have been added through acquisitions and partnerships. These brands will help to broaden the recognition of the range of MetLife’s offerings through a clear, consistent endorsement strategy as MetLife Companies.
New England Financial
A MetLife Company
®
GenAmerica Financial
A MetLife Company
®
Texas Life Insurance Company
A MetLife Company
Hyatt Legal Plans
A MetLife Company
Walnut Street Securities, Inc.
A MetLife Company
This is a representative listing of MetLife companies by trade name/trademark. For a complete listing, please visit www.metlife.com. Information above current at time of publication.
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KEEPING THE METLIFE BRAND STRONG
Like any other asset, a brand requires attention to maintain its value. In an age of brand proliferation, effective brand management remains a critical business imperative. As a result of excellent past stewardship, the MetLife brand is widely known and well respected. All of us have a role to play in ensuring that our brand continues to grow and gain competitive strength. We have developed guidelines and tools for the care and nurturing of our brand that are designed to be easy to use and accessible to everyone.
All of us have a role to play in ensuring that our brand continues to grow…
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Tools & Resources
The tools and resources below can help associates to strengthen the MetLife brand and ensure that we become a recognized global leader in financial services by communicating about our brand the right way. The Online Brand Center. The online brand center is our primary source of information. It centralizes all critical MetLife branding information and guidelines and helps promote understanding and foster usage of, and compliance with, the branding guidelines. The center has been organized in several layers so that information can be quickly and easily found. Use the center to:
learn experience create
Key facts about the MetLife brand and the brand center—Our brand strategy, positioning, attributes and brand history. Browse through a gallery of MetLife communications materials, sorted by audience, product/service offering, or by country of interest. (Look for this feature in 2005.) Guidelines and templates for effective communications and an important component of how we can effectively provide consistency across the enterprise.
The center also provides access to digital assets such as the Peanuts characters, logos, and corporate owned photography. Links to other sites that support MetLife’s brand management program include the company’s online premium catalogs and our newly created communications preferred vendor program. Vendors that are part of this program are knowledgeable in working with the MetLife brand identity system.
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B R A N D G LO S S A RY
IN AN EFFORT TO CREATE A COMMON LANGUAGE FOR COMMUNICATING ABOUT THE METLIFE BRAND, HERE IS A GLOSSARY OF COMMON BRANDING TERMS
BRAND The sum of all information about a company or product communicated by a name and its related visual symbols. BRAND EXPERIENCE The sum of experiences driven by customers’ interactions with the brand across all touchpoints (through agents, customer service, advertising, print and online communications, etc.).
BRAND IDENTITY (also Corporate Identity) The visual elements that can be used to identify a brand or company. These include name, logotypes, symbols, advertising, signage, product configuration, service offering, packaging, stationery, etc. BRAND IMAGE (also Corporate Image) The complete bundle of thoughts that people have about a company resulting from a combination of various communications and personal experience. These include the distinguishing character attributes of the brand or company (e.g., approachable and trustworthy).
BRAND PROMISE The enduring, relevant, and distinctive benefits that the brand offers. It differs from the positioning statement (see Positioning Statement), and it also differs from the value proposition (see Value Proposition).
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CORPORATE MISSION Defines why the organization exists, its core values and intent, and serves to unite organizational behavior. The MetLife mission serves as a strong foundation for the MetLife brand and is captured through its statement of purpose: “To build financial freedom for everyone.” IMAGE ATTRIBUTES Help define the tone, manner, personality, and style of a brand. Often the differentiating factors between similar companies, products, and services. LOGOTYPE/LOGO A combination of characters and/or graphics creating a single design used to identify a company. MetLife uses its name spelled in a unique font and a narrow range of colors (blue, white and black) to represent its corporate brand. NOMENCLATURE SYSTEM/BRAND ARCHITECTURE Method for associating divisions, subsidiaries, brands, etc., with the parent company. POSITIONING STATEMENT Provides the underlying platform for communications, reflecting the company’s/brand’s value proposition. Addresses 1) definition: how the company defines its business or how the brand defines its competitive set—who we are and what we do; 2) differentiation: what makes the company/brand special—how we do it; and 3) deliverables: benefits delivered to its customers. VALUE PROPOSITION The functional and emotional benefits the brand delivers that provide rationale for the customer’s choice of one brand over another. VISUAL IDENTITY SYSTEM A selected identity and signature approach to visually represent MetLife’s brand, including information hierarchy and the use of MetLife’s name, logotype, typography, primary and extended color palettes, taglines, slogans, Snoopy/ Peanuts characters, imagery (including photography and illustration), and a grid system to organize the communications elements.
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Corporate Communications. MetLife’s Corporate Communications team is always ready to provide guidance on ways to promote and protect the MetLife brand. Please contact us with any questions regarding new product, service, or department naming and/or logo development; design and production of all communications materials; communications training; or other brand-related questions.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS David Monfried, (212) 578-4132 BRAND IDENTITY AND BRAND MANAGEMENT Linda Bloniarz, (212) 578-4388 ADVERTISING, BLIMP AND SPORTS PROMOTION Robert Weinstein, (212) 578-2583 PUBLIC RELATIONS John Calagna, (212) 578-6252 INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS Susan Berger, (212) 578-6080
0406-5046 © 2004 METLIFE, INC. L04094FWQ(exp1208)MLIC-LD PEANUTS © United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 200 Park Avenue New York, NY 10166 www.metlife.com
