NEW YORK – MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) has reached an agreement in principle to be the first major marketing partner of the new Meadowlands stadium in New Jersey, future home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. As a Cornerstone Partner, MetLife will have the exclusive naming rights to brand one of the four main entrances to the new stadium as well as one of the four main scoreboards inside the stadium. MetLife will also become the official life insurance company of the Giants and Jets.
"We are incredibly pleased that a great company like MetLife is the first of our four cornerstone sponsors," said Mark Lamping, president and chief executive officer of New Meadowlands Stadium Co. "The cornerstone sponsors will anchor the four corners of the new stadium and help make possible the best fan experience both inside the seating bowl and in the concourses. We are proud to welcome such a high quality company to this historic project and look forward to a long partnership together."
"This is a unique opportunity to promote MetLife, the leading life insurance company in the U.S., at a new state-of-the-art NFL facility," said Beth Hirschhorn, MetLife senior vice president, global brand and marketing. "It will not only deliver tremendous national exposure, but it also allows us to create a brand experience for sports fans and concert goers."
This sponsorship fits in perfectly with MetLife's significant sports promotion strategy, which includes its three blimps (Snoopy One, Two and Three) and its premier TV network partnerships to cover major PGA TOUR and USGA golf events including the US Open, LPGA events, and Major League Baseball and NFL football games.
MetLife is a sponsor of the 2008 New York Yankees, as well as their interactive countdown clock commemorating the last season at Yankee Stadium, and has a presence at Madison Square Garden for NY Rangers and NY Knicks games and is a sponsor of a major U.S. cycling team.
The parties will be working toward definitive documents in the coming weeks.
Celebrating 140 years, MetLife, Inc. is a leading provider of insurance and financial services with operations throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Through its domestic and international subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance, reinsurance and retirement & savings products and services to corporations and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.metlife.com.
