Planning Basics
Since 1985, Snoopy, MetLife’s lovable canine ambassador, has put his considerable charm at the service of MetLife in North America and select international markets, helping us create a uniquely appealing identity that differentiates us from our competitors.
In 2006, MetLife went global with Snoopy when we acquired exclusive international rights to use the world-famous canine in the financial services category. As a result, for the first time in our history, MetLife has an integrated global platform for promoting our brand and our products—and an unprecedented marketing opportunity.
While these rights have tremendous potential as a global marketing asset, their true value can be tapped only if we activate them effectively, consistently, and creatively.
This online activation toolkit is designed to help you do just that.
Here you’ll find everything you need to put Snoopy and the PEANUTS gang to work on behalf of MetLife:
- Insightful assistance in planning a Snoopy initiative
- Concise usage guidelines
- Easy-to-use Snoopy Premium Program
- Selection of easy-to-access activation tools, including PEANUTS artwork, ready-to-use templates for point-of-sale materials, order forms, and more
- Approval information and forms
- Useful contacts
We hope you’ll find inspiration in this toolkit, and we invite you to put all its tools to work to drive your MetLife business—wherever in the world you may be.
Your Feedback 
This is your toolkit. We invite your suggestions on how we might make it work even more effectively for you. Please send your comments to Kate Niven at kniven@metlife.com.
Your Snoopy programs should be focused on achieving well-defined internal and/or external business objectives. The questions below can help you make sure your programs are delivering an appropriate return on your marketing investments.
Are your Snoopy programs:
- Increasing sales?
- Building relationships?
- Building new distribution?
- Generating leads/referrals?
- Educating customers?
- Building retention/persistency?
- Building awareness?
- Serving as a customer or sales force incentive?
- Enhancing employee morale?
- Positioning MetLife as a brand or thought leader?
- Positioned strongly against the competition?
When you are planning an activation program—i.e., any marketing initiative where Snoopy or other PEANUTS characters are the main theme or primary visual component—you should submit a completed Snoopy Activation Planning Form (.doc, PDF) to Kate Niven in Global Brand & Marketing Services prior to executing the program.
What the Form Does for You
Snoopy performs best when your activation concept is developed on a sound, business-driven basis. Planning a successful Snoopy activation program, therefore, requires careful assessment of several important considerations.
The Snoopy Activation Planning Form has been developed to help you and International Marketing review the business criteria and projected impact of your program, and it provides a critical tracking tool for senior management.
The form includes:
- Project/program name
- Program description
- Market
- Target audience (internal/external)
- Objective
- Total program cost
- Premium costs
- Program timing
- Business impact/measurement
- Media/marketing support
In addition, the form can help you identify and resolve potential issues in advance. The information also enables International Marketing to:
- Alert you to other PEANUTS initiatives in your area that you might be able to leverage to your advantage
- Provide marketing insights drawn from similar Snoopy programs in the past
Submission to International Marketing
Please send the completed form to Kate Niven at kniven@metlife.com.
Please remember that after receiving a response from Kate Niven, you must still proceed to submit your concept design to the Fast Approvals System with Tracking (FASTrack) for the required approval from Peanuts Worldwide and CA. See the Snoopy Planning Process Flow Chart (PDF) for an at-a-glance look at the activation planning process.
These handy tips can help smooth your planning process and avoid unpleasant surprises:
Give yourself time. Start early, and be sure to allow time for the unexpected (e.g., program revisions required for approval, delays caused by customs).
Review the Planning Process Flow Chart (PDF), which provides a succinct overview of the activation process and will help you develop a reasonable time line for your program.
Review the Snoopy Premium Program, Snoopy’s Toolbox, Activation Database, and Sample Activation Concepts sections to help spark fresh, exciting program ideas.
Discuss your plans with to ensure that you have considered all relevant issues and that your proposed initiative meets required business criteria.
Contact to learn about other PEANUTS programs and partners you might be able to leverage in your market.
Order premiums early in the process to allow sufficient time for production and shipping.
Submit program approvals as soon as possible so any potential issues can be resolved in advance.
The Activation Database, a Lotus Notes system managed by International Marketing, provides a valuable reference resource for your activation concept development.
This central repository documents a wide variety of successful Snoopy programs from around the world, implemented by MetLife, Peanuts Worldwide, and other organizations. Taken together, the documented programs provide the equivalent of a “best practices” portfolio, including photos, case studies, and other materials designed to assist in the successful planning and implementation of your marketing programs.
These valuable reference materials can help you brainstorm, and we invite you to review these samples taken from the database which can be downloaded from the links on your right.
Accessing the Activation Database
To access, open Lotus Notes, click on the Activation Database icon, and begin using. If you do not see the icon for the database on Lotus Notes, please contact Karina Stella, at kstella@metlife.com, and she will supply the link.
To make the best use of the database, review the Activation Database User Tips (PDF), which provide a variety of helpful insights into accessing the resource’s valuable materials.
Developing Concepts
Effective Snoopy activation concepts come in all shapes and sizes, and as you develop the right concept for your program, please use your imagination as freely as Snoopy uses his.
To spark your creative thinking, visit the Activation Database page, a valuable resource that offers information about successful Snoopy implementations of the past. Also, review the Sample Activation Concepts, which provide a variety of suggestions.
You’ll also want to review the Activation Planning Menu (PDF) and the Snoopy Activation Tools Guide (PDF). The first offers at-a-glance information about the resources available to you at every stage of the planning process. The second outlines what activation tools work best with specific audiences.
Brazil Korea China
Click to enlarge images.
When developing your concept, keep these guidelines in mind to help ensure a productive activation program:
- Think big. Remember that using Snoopy can go beyond logos and plush dolls. Make sure all elements are fully integrated and consistently support a common theme.
- Establish relevance. Develop initiatives that are relevant to your target as well as the brand. What do your target customers care about? What are their interests? Build your program around current industry and consumer trends.
- Engage the customer. Interaction is key. Identify an activity that strongly appeals to your target.
- Remember the people factor. Successful programs capture people’s imaginations and appeal to their hearts, not only their minds. This is at the core of MetLife’s brand principles—and our relationship with Snoopy.
- Create a customer “experience.” Use consumer insights to create a unique customer experience from MetLife.
- Use leverage. Plan your programs around other PEANUTS and/or MetLife initiatives in your market to increase their impact.
- Check out the competition. What marketing strategies are working or not working for your competitors? Learn from their mistakes. Use Snoopy as a differentiator.
- Consider different lifestyle themes, aligned with local MetLife positioning, for your Snoopy programs:
- Sports/entertainment
- Fashion
- Holidays
- Art/culture
- Charity/cause-related
- Community
- Schools/education
International Marketing has developed several Snoopy activation concepts that you may adapt for your market. These concepts also make excellent starting points for your own brainstorming sessions.
MetLife realizes that each market has its own unique characteristics. Concepts that work well in one place may not be appropriate in another. The concepts offered here, therefore, are not intended to be universally applicable. Use what works best in your market, and make whatever changes your market conditions dictate.
Please note that the sample concepts presented in this section are:
- Designed to stand alone or work in combination with one another
- Focus on distributors, with possible consumer or media extensions
Also, remember that all programs must comply with industry guidelines, as well as general guidelines for using Snoopy.
We recommend that you submit the Snoopy Activation Planning Form (.doc, PDF) for your proposed activation program to International Marketing before requesting approval via FASTrack.
Feedback