AI and TMT companies that pursued adjacencies where they had a strong ‘right to win’ generated the highest shareholder returns.
xTSR,¹ 2003–2021, (n = 274 companies²)
Number of “right-to-win” rationales used
Recent growth outperformers
Others
4.3
–3.9
10.1
0.3
15.1
2.5
0
1
2+
Value creation logic to fuel growth into adjacencies
Customer Use relationships and unique knowledge of customers’ pain points to sell a new product
Capability Leverage existing assets and people to provide new offerings
Value chain Move upstream or downstream to achieve cost and revenue synergies
Disruption and business model innovation Build on industry know-how to introduce a new business model, disruptive technology, or subscription/ monetization model
¹
Median p.a. for the period from adjacency entry to 2021.
²
Advanced Industries and telco, media, and technology companies; number of companies in each subsample are as follows: recent growth outperformers (n = 70), others (n = 204).
Note: Value creation logic classifications are underpinned by expert opinions.
Source: McKinsey Corporate Performance Analytics™
McKinsey & Company