(SOUNDBITE OF VINCE GUARALDI'S "JOE COOL")
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
MetLife parted ways with Snoopy and the "Peanuts" gang this week. Charles Schulz's whimsical comic strip beagle, who flew a biplane from the top of his doghouse and put things into thought clouds that the rest of us wished we had said, will no longer be the company's corporate symbol.
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, said Esther Lee, MetLife's global chief marketing officer. 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.
Their new corporate symbol will be blue and green spheres that form an M for MetLife. Spheres, after all, are man's best friend.
(SOUNDBITE OF VINCE GUARALDI'S "JOE COOL") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.