74 M C K I N S EY Q UA RT E R LY Strategy’s Blind Spot EXHIBIT 2 Companies are not closely tracking their competitive advantage despite evidence that it is eroding. Share of respondents, % Knowledge of current competitive-advantage situation 80 Somewhat to highly confident they know what drives customer choice in their markets 34 Monitor competitors with offerings they directly compete against by market 30 Validate drivers of customer choice by market using external data Source: McKinsey Global Survey on innovation and competitive advantage, 1,257 participants, Oct 27–Nov 17, 2025