I work as a fractional CMO, with fixed days per week. Still, in some intro calls I advise against it. There are situations where a company does not need two days of leadership a week, but five, starting now. Then an interim CMO is the better choice. How the models differ in principle is covered in the comparison of fractional, interim and agency. This article is about when full time wins.
Four situations where interim wins
1. The head of marketing is suddenly gone
Resignation, illness, parental leave: a team of five or more people is left without leadership, campaigns keep running, decisions pile up. Filling the position typically takes three to nine months. During that time the team needs someone who is available every day, approves budgets and resolves conflicts. A fractional CMO with two days a week can only partly do that.
2. Turnaround
Revenue drops, cost per enquiry rises, management has to show results within a few months. In that situation it is about speed and uncomfortable decisions: terminating agencies, shifting budgets, switching off channels. That takes full presence and the mandate to actually carry those decisions through.
3. Rebranding or relaunch
A new brand, a new website, a new presence across all channels, often with a fixed date. Many threads run at once: agencies, internal departments, sign-offs from management. For the hot phase of three to six months, full-time leadership is usually cheaper than the delays that would otherwise occur.
4. Integration after an acquisition
Two companies, two marketing teams, two brands, two systems. Someone has to decide which brand stays, which tools continue and who is responsible for what. That is politically delicate and needs a person who belongs to neither side and is on site every day.
What an interim CMO must deliver in the first 30 days
An interim CMO costs a lot per day. So after four weeks it should be visible that it pays off:
- Assessment: budgets, channels, agencies, team, numbers. What runs, what does it cost, what does it bring?
- Three priorities: in writing, agreed with management, for the next three months.
- First decisions: at least one channel, agency or project that is stopped or reset.
- A report: one page per month with the metrics that count, above all cost per qualified enquiry.
- A plan for the end: how long is the interim solution needed, and what comes after?
Cost and duration compared
An interim CMO usually works four to five days a week for three to twelve months. Day rates are well above the salary of a permanent head of marketing, calculated per day. In return there is no recruiting, no onboarding and no notice period, and the person is productive within days.
A fractional CMO at one to three days a week costs correspondingly less and is set up for a longer collaboration. A permanent hire is cheapest in the long run, but slowest. How the costs of a fractional CMO break down is covered in the article on fractional CMO costs.
Plan the handover properly
Most interim mandates do not fail in the middle but at the end. Three paths are common:
- Interim to permanent hire: the interim CMO helps select the successor and onboards them over several weeks.
- Interim to fractional: after the acute phase the role shrinks to one or two days a week. The team keeps leadership without the cost of a full-time position.
- Interim to team: a strong person from the existing team is developed into the head of marketing.
Which path fits should be clear after the first 30 days, not in the last month.
Checklist for management
- Does the team need decisions every day, or are fixed slots per week enough?
- Is there a fixed date (relaunch, trade fair, annual target) that cannot move?
- Do uncomfortable decisions have to be made in the next three months, for example on agencies or budgets?
- Is there someone in the team who could take over leadership in six to twelve months?
- How long will a replacement realistically take?
If the answer to the first three questions is "yes", a lot speaks for an interim CMO. If "no" dominates, a fractional CMO is usually the better and cheaper solution.