The collective strategy

Macroeconomic factors like shrinking budgets and an influx of available talent have normalized the collective model — which is being embraced by firms and consultancies of all sizes.

Why it matters: Collectives allow for "Avengers"-like communication teams to assemble for one-off projects or particularly thorny assignments.

State of play: The Weber Shandwick Collective recently began tapping outside experts — like former White House officials, CCOs, academics and policy experts— to service their clients in advisory roles.

• There's also the so-called 1099 strategy (named after the tax form for consulting work). Gray Wolf is the latest firm to operate on this "fluid workforce" model — meaning its founders, Endeavor alums Shaun Clair and Layton Lassiter, run the day-to-day operations and tap a network of 30 freelancers, independent consultants and small independent agencies for special projects as needed.

What they're saying: "Our industry and how people use our industry has not been very dynamic over the last several decades — but how we are leveraging talent is starting to shift," says Mixing Board founder Sean Garrett.

• "Collectives are tapping senior-level experts — all of whom are doing their own thing — to come together and collaborate on different projects that they each bring in."

Zoom in: This is disruptive for a few reasons, says Garrett.

• "One is that you can now pull together the top people from across the globe, which used to be something that only a huge, well-capitalized international firm could do. And two, these supergroups are formed by people who have collaborated in the past and have deep expertise, but operate in a leaner way."

Yes, but: For these collectives to work, they must also hire strategic do-ers — people who can both come up with the plan and execute it.

The bottom line: The freelancer economy contributes $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy — up $100 million from 2020 — and both independent consultants and in-house comms pros are increasingly teaming up through membership organizations and collectives.

(Disclaimer: Hawkins is a Mixing Board member).