What Bain’s insurgent brands analysis really shows

So, Bain’s 2026 Insurgent Brands analysis is out, and it’s getting a lot of attention. I’m mostly interested in one thing: does it actually support (or contradict) what Ehrenberg-Bass has been saying for years? Bain’s implied takeaway for busy people: differentiation drives growth. Not just distinctiveness. Not just availability. Differentiation. That’s a fairly radical conclusion in today’s “mental & physical availability” era. So let’s check the evidence, not the folklore. The table below summarises where Bain’s claims fit Sharp/Ehrenberg-Bass logic, and where they don’t. In several areas it looks like someone needs to revise their propositions. If the goal is truth (not vibes): which claims survive contact with the data?