Why We Hate New Brand Names (Until We Don’t)

Nancy Friedman
The Startup
Published in
5 min readJun 26, 2019

In January 2019, Marriott International introduced a new consolidated loyalty program for guests at all of the company’s branded properties — Marriott, Starwood, and Ritz-Carlton — under a single new name: Bonvoy. The company’s global chief commercial officer said the new name was selected from a list of 600 candidates, and that Bonvoy was “a clear winner” because it communicated a “modern, fresh, and aspirational” identity.

Marriott customers disagreed. Quickly, loudly, and vehemently.

Nancy Friedman
The Startup

Writer, name developer, brand consultant, idea-ist, ex-journalist. Find me on Twitter, Mastodon, and Instagram (@fritinancy) and in the San Francisco Bay Area.