Why bigger may not be better for brands in 2026
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Brand strategist Harish Bijoor predicts that 2026 will mark a crucial shift from transactional branding to relationship-based brand building. After technology brands prioritized quick transactions in 2025, companies are rediscovering the importance of the “umbilical connect” between brands and individual users. Bijoor uses IndiGo Airlines’ December crisis—where loyal customers became vitriolic critics within five days—as evidence that purely transactional brands are inherently weak and vulnerable.
The article argues that 2026 will witness a return to “long-termism” as both heritage and new-age companies re-embrace authentic branding practices. Brands will invest in human-centered customer service, replacing automated bots with real call centers staffed by real people. Bijoor suggests that startup “now-termism”—focusing exclusively on immediate transactions—will lose appeal as companies recognize that sustainable brand success requires investing in what genuinely moves people emotionally rather than treating customers as mere transaction points.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Brand Managers Return
Startups will rediscover the value of brand-building expertise as they realize brands help offerings stand apart from competition.
Relationships Over Transactions
The umbilical connection between brands and individual users will replace the transactional approach that dominated technology brands in 2025.
IndiGo’s Five-Day Collapse
IndiGo Airlines’ rapid transformation from loyal customers to vitriolic critics demonstrates the fragility of transactional brand relationships.
Human-Centered Customer Service
Companies will establish real call centers with human representatives, relegating limited automated bots to less important roles.
Long-Termism Returns
Both heritage and new-age companies will re-embrace the art, science, and philosophy of branding with long-term perspectives.
Now-Termism Declines
Startup culture’s focus on immediate transactions will lose appeal as companies invest in what genuinely moves people emotionally.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
The Return of Relationship-Based Branding
In 2026, brands must abandon transactional approaches and rebuild authentic emotional connections with customers. The shift from technology-driven “now-termism” toward “long-termism” requires companies to invest in genuine human relationships, respect customers as individuals, and prioritize emotional engagement over quick transactions—or risk the kind of rapid loyalty collapse IndiGo Airlines experienced.
Purpose
Predicting and Advocating Brand Strategy Shift
Bijoor aims to forecast the coming year’s branding landscape while advocating for a specific strategic direction. He uses a cautionary tale (IndiGo) to warn companies about transactional branding’s dangers and presents optimistic predictions about relationship-based branding’s resurgence, ultimately encouraging both customers and companies to embrace more authentic, human-centered brand practices.
Structure
Predictive → Cautionary → Optimistic
The article opens with forward-looking predictions about brand managers and relationship-based branding, pivots to a cautionary case study of IndiGo Airlines’ rapid customer loyalty collapse, then concludes with optimistic forecasts about human-centered customer service and long-termism’s return. This structure moves from broad trends to specific evidence to hopeful resolution.
Tone
Authoritative, Optimistic & Conversational
Bijoor writes with the confidence of an industry expert making predictions, maintains an optimistic outlook about branding’s future despite criticizing current practices, and employs a conversational, accessible style with phrases like “Not yours and mine, which soured last year” and “And that shall be a fun moment to wait for” that humanize complex business concepts.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
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To become fully aware of something as a fact; to understand clearly or achieve as a result of effort.
“Startups of every kind will realise the ability of a brand that helps their offering stand apart from the rest.”
Persistently avoids or rejects something; deliberately keeps away from or refuses to accept.
“A relationship status that shuns the transactional and moves more towards that end of the brand spectrum where companies invest in what moves people.”
Characterized by intense feeling or strong enthusiasm; passionate and fervent in belief or action.
“Users did a quick flip from being ostensibly loyal brand-users to being very ardent, unforgiving and vitriolic critics.”
The ability to do something successfully or efficiently; possessing the necessary skill, knowledge, or capacity for a particular task.
“The automated bots, that do little with limited interface today, are going to be relegated to a less important corner of competence.”
To accept or support something again after a period of rejection or neglect; to return to adopting a previous practice or belief.
“2026 will see responsible companies of both the heritage and new-age kind re-embrace the art, science, and philosophy of branding.”
A strategic approach that prioritizes long-term value and sustainability over short-term gains; planning and decision-making with extended time horizons.
“‘Long-termism’ is going to be back. Startup ‘now-termism’ is going to have a few takers.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, IndiGo Airlines experienced a rapid transformation where loyal customers became harsh critics within five days.
2What does Bijoor mean by the “umbilical connect” between brands and users?
3Which sentence best captures Bijoor’s optimistic prediction about customer service in 2026?
4Based on the article, determine if each statement is true or false:
Technology brands adopted a transactional approach in 2025.
Automated bots will be relegated to less important roles until autonomous AI arrives.
Only new-age companies, not heritage companies, will embrace long-termism in 2026.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5What can be inferred about Bijoor’s view of startup culture’s “now-termism”?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Transactional branding treats customer interactions as one-time exchanges focused solely on completing purchases rather than building lasting relationships. These brands prioritize immediate conversions over emotional connections, often relying on automated systems and efficiency metrics. The IndiGo Airlines example demonstrates transactional branding’s weakness—without genuine relationship investment, customer loyalty can evaporate within days when problems arise.
These terms represent fundamentally different strategic philosophies. Long-termism invests in sustainable customer relationships, brand equity, and emotional connections that yield loyalty over years. Now-termism focuses exclusively on immediate transactions and short-term metrics, sacrificing relationship-building for quick results. Bijoor argues that 2026 will see companies returning to long-termism as they recognize transactional approaches create fragile brand positions vulnerable to rapid customer defection.
IndiGo Airlines experienced a “fracas” where ostensibly loyal customers transformed into “very ardent, unforgiving and vitriolic critics” within just five days. While Bijoor doesn’t detail the specific incident, he uses it as evidence that purely transactional brands—those without deep relationship foundations—can see customer sentiment collapse catastrophically fast. The example illustrates why brands must invest in genuine emotional connections rather than treating customers as transaction points.
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This article is rated Intermediate. It uses business terminology and abstract concepts like transactional versus relationship-based branding while maintaining an accessible, conversational tone. The piece requires understanding metaphorical language (umbilical connect), interpreting industry predictions, and recognizing the contrast between opposing strategic approaches. It’s suitable for readers developing professional reading skills without requiring specialized marketing or business education backgrounds.
Harish Bijoor is a brand strategist and consultant who analyzes trends in branding and business strategy. His predictions matter because they’re published in The New Indian Express as informed expert opinion pieces that influence how business leaders think about brand strategy. As someone who observes patterns across multiple companies and industries, Bijoor identifies emerging shifts before they become obvious, making his 2026 predictions valuable for understanding where brand management is heading.
The Ultimate Reading Course covers 9 RC question types: Multiple Choice, True/False, Multi-Statement T/F, Text Highlight, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Sequencing, Error Spotting, and Short Answer. This comprehensive coverage prepares you for any reading comprehension format you might encounter.
