With the help of machine learning, some law firms are reinventing themselves as legal services software companies that sell licences rather than advice. Large global accounting and consulting firms are taking some of their services in a similar direction, for instance in the area of regulatory compliance. Some manufacturing firms have expanded into digital services, offering other firms help with supply-chain management, product design and prototyping.

Disruptive business and economic trends have always been a boon for global management consultants. When companies struggle to adapt to shifting market demands they rely on the guidance of external, objective experts to help them stay competitive. After all, alumni from elite consultancies include high-profile business leaders such as Meg Whitman, Sheryl Sandberg and Jeff Immelt.        

Nuno Teles has a difficult job: getting US consumers to show some brand loyalty. As chief marketing officer of Heineken USA, he depends on using content, in multiple formats and published at a quick pace, to keep digitally savvy, slogan-leery customers engaged. Unlike in the past, when a catchy ad delivered across multiple channels would be enough, marketers today often have to manage a stream of fresh ideas across video, social media and other digital platforms.   Like other marketers, he increasingly has to look beyond an agency of record (AOR) to find external partners with specialised capabilities that can help deliver value to his company. However, finding and vetting these new kinds of partners are significant challenges.   An Economist Intelligence Unit survey of 307 business leaders from the US, UK and Europe that was commissioned by Globality found that the majority of executives that work with external marketing agencies are planning in the next 12 months to replace work previously done by an AOR with smaller agencies and individual contributors. And in the next five years, the surveyed executives are mainly focused on two marketing areas: digital strategy and content marketing.