What a Bunch of Blockheads! Internet Outraged at MetLife Firing Snoopy. It's the great layoff, Charlie Brown. After 31 years of being the insurance company's mascot, MetLife cuts ties with the iconic characters.
By Andrea Hardalo •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It's the end of an era. MetLife yesterday announced that Snoopy and the Peanuts crew would no longer be part of the company's marketing strategy.
"We decided to transform the MetLife brand because our company is undergoing a pretty significant transformation," Richard Hong, senior vice president of global brand and marketing at MetLife, said in an AdWeek article.
We want to be a trusted partner to the people & companies we serve - our new logo is a symbol of that commitment: https://t.co/nQjQJj1EJ8 pic.twitter.com/5nNKwO8x2A
— MetLife (@MetLife) October 20, 2016
The change was brought about after the company found that its consumers were "overwhelmed with the pace of change and are looking for a trusted partner to help them navigate these changes."
"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," Esther Lee, global chief marketing officer of MetLife, said in a press release.
MetLife definitely hit the nail on the head with that whole people getting "overwhelmed" with change thing. People all over the internet expressed shock at the firing of iconic character.
MetLife is dumping Snoopy and other Peanuts characters from its ads. What do you think of the move?
— Paul R. La Monica (@LaMonicaBuzz) October 20, 2016
The best part of our Snoopy gets fired story is Snoopy's resume by @carollmatt pic.twitter.com/xvtpAdGsOE
— Mark Mooney (@mxmooney) October 20, 2016
This is outrageous. Use Snoopy to get rich then toss him like this? We demand to see #snoopy401k @MetLife https://t.co/ykcRBGIzNV
— Rose Cathy (@stillrosecathy) October 21, 2016
#metlife
— amongst tragedy (@amongst_tragedy) October 20, 2016
... only thing i can say to MetLife is... pic.twitter.com/IcEeOv5S9Y
@MetLife is making a huge mistake dropping @Snoopy. There should be a giant #Snoopy on top of the MetLife Building. pic.twitter.com/HKR0CY8Myy
— A. T. Pratt (@CartoonTycoon) October 21, 2016
You don't have to worry too much about the Peanuts gang. They're getting ready for Halloween.
10 days until Halloween! pic.twitter.com/cacGkKsjv0
— PEANUTS (@Snoopy) October 21, 2016
