MetLife Retirement & Savings Delivers New Way of Educating 401k Plan Participants Through Macromedia Breeze Technology

Business Wire, March 2, 2005

ST. LOUIS -- MetLife Retirement & Savings announced today a new innovation in delivering enrollment and plan information to 401(k) participants in the small and mid-market. Through the use of Macromedia Breeze technology, MetLife is now offering plan sponsors customizable online multimedia presentations for its plan participants.

Using Breeze, MetLife is able to communicate a particular 401(k) plan's features, and the different investment options available to its plan participants. The presentations will also instruct plan participants on how to enroll in their company's 401(k) plan and link them directly to MetLife's participant web site. MetLife will also make available ongoing education programs through Breeze, presenting information on a wide range of retirement planning topics.

Macromedia Breeze is an integrated, rich communications platform with modules that support communication, training, and collaboration needs. Delivered through the ubiquitous Macromedia Flash Player, Breeze is redefining the way information is disseminated throughout an enterprise. In this case, the Breeze technology allows MetLife to customize a PowerPoint presentation, and then add synchronized audio or video tracks to the presentation. It then converts the 401(k) presentation into a Macromedia Flash movie file that can be streamed over the Internet on its own URL as a Breeze presentation.

"According to MetLife's Employee Benefits Trend Study, only 31% of employees give their companies' current benefits communications program high marks," said William Slater, vice president, MetLife Retirement & Savings. "Through the Macromedia Breeze technology, MetLife is helping to redefine how 401(k) communications are disseminated throughout a company - with the goal of engaging employees in a unique and captivating way. Employees will be able to learn about their company's 401(k) plan on their time, in their location, and on their schedule."

"From traditional, printed employee enrollment materials and campaigns to new, innovative technological solutions like Breeze, MetLife Retirement & Savings provides our clients with a range of programs that can be tailored to meet their needs," added Slater.

"Macromedia Breeze delivers a solution that makes information and communications more meaningful, effective and useful for both companies and clients," said Tom Hale, senior vice president and general manager of communications, publishing and training at Macromedia. "With rapid authoring and deployment of e-learning courses and multimedia presentations, MetLife can provide their clients with an unparalleled experience through Breeze."

For plan sponsors, Breeze will also allow MetLife to track and generate detailed reports for each presentation created for a particular company's plan. Plan sponsors will be able to learn at any point in time how many employees have viewed a particular presentation. Survey questions and online quizzes can also be integrated into the presentation, allowing MetLife and the plan sponsor to determine if there are particular gaps in knowledge about the company's 401(k) plan.

MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and institutional customers. The MetLife companies serve individuals in approximately 13 million households in the U.S. and provide benefits to 37 million employees and family members through their plan sponsors. Outside the U.S., the MetLife companies serve approximately 8 million customers through direct insurance operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. For more information about MetLife, please visit the company's Web site at www.metlife.com.