1959 – MetLife

So far for MidCenturyPage.com’s series on American Business, we’ve covered Food, Industry, Technology, Health & Beauty, and Fashion. Today we’ll look at insurance–specifically Metropolitan Life Insurance company (currently known as MetLife). It might seem strange to think of Women’s magazines as a place to advertise insurance, but it was not unusual to see ads such as this one. Their approach was quite clever. Each of their ads contained an illustration showing something typical in one’s life. It went on to include text about a particular subject followed by a form to send in to get more information about that subject. What better way to establish brand trust and to connect with a brand?

Want more information about how to keep your family safe? Just fill out the form and send it to Metropolitan Life for a free booklet.

Here’s another example from earlier in the decade. Who can’t resist this great mid-century picture of a family preparing to leave for a trip to the country.

Here are 2 other similar ads.

MetLife began as National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company to serve Civil War Soldiers in 1863. It is the oldest company on my list of Great American Brands. According to Wikipedia, MetLife is one of Fortune 500’s top company in total revenue.