STRATEGIC MARKETING LEADERSHIP WITHOUT THE FULL-TIME COST.
Senior marketing leadership for fast-growing Bangalore companies without the full-time executive cost or risk
Author: Trigger Worldwide | Based in Bangalore, we've helped companies across B2B and B2C build stronger marketing systems. We position brands the same way we position ourselves: using proven frameworks, clear strategy, and systematic approaches that create sustainable competitive advantages. We have extensive experience in guiding fast-growing companies in shifting from fragmented marketing to predictable results.
You're profitable. Growing fast. But marketing feels like throwing money at a wall and hoping something sticks.
You know you need senior marketing leadership. Someone who can build the system, not just run campaigns. Someone who sees three moves ahead while your team executes today's tactics.
But hiring a full-time CMO? That's ₹40-60 lacs annually, plus 4-6 months to find the right person, plus the risk that they want to build an empire instead of solving your actual problems.
So you're stuck. Your marketing team needs direction. Your sales team needs better leads. Your competitors are gaining ground. And you're spending weekends trying to figure out marketing strategy when you should be running your company.
The alternatives (and why they don't work)
Before we talk about what we do, let's talk about what you've probably already considered.
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Full-time CMO hire
Costs ₹40-60 lacs per year minimum in Bangalore. Takes 4-6 months to hire. Another 3-6 months to ramp up and understand your business. Many come from larger companies and want teams, budgets, and infrastructure you don't have yet. They're building their resume, not necessarily solving your problems. And if it doesn't work out? You're looking at severance, another search, and 6 more months of drift.
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Marketing agencies
Agencies sell you services, not strategy. They're specialists: one does SEO, another does ads, a third handles content. You end up managing multiple vendors, stitching together their work, and wondering why nothing connects. They're not accountable for revenue. They're accountable for deliverables. Your sales team complains about lead quality. The agency sends you a report showing clicks went up.
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Promoting someone internally
Your marketing coordinator or manager is talented. But they've never built a marketing system from scratch. Never positioned a company against entrenched competitors. Never aligned marketing and sales into a revenue machine. You're asking them to learn strategic marketing on your dime while competitors who already figured this out take market share. They work hard, but hard work without strategic direction just means doing the wrong things faster.
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Marketing consultants
Consultants analyze your situation, build you a strategy deck, then disappear. You're left holding a 40-slide presentation with no one to execute it. Your team looks at the recommendations and doesn't know where to start. Three months later, the deck is in a drawer and you're back where you started, minus the consulting fees.
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Doing it yourself
You started this company. You can figure out marketing, too, right? So you read blogs, listen to podcasts, and try tactics you hear about. Some work. Most don't. You can't tell which. Marketing becomes this black box that eats money and spits out "engagement" while revenue grows more slowly than it should. Meanwhile, product development slows down because you're spending 15 hours a week trying to be a marketer instead of being a founder.
Your next step
Book a meeting. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just two business leaders discussing whether fractional CMO services make sense for your specific situation. We'll analyze your current marketing performance and identify immediate improvement opportunities. We'll discuss your growth objectives and create a preliminary strategic roadmap. We'll determine which fractional CMO approach fits your business needs right now. We'll outline expected outcomes and realistic timelines.
What you actually need
You need someone who thinks like a CMO but works like a partner.
Someone who has built marketing systems for companies at your stage. Who knows the difference between growth tactics that scale and shiny objects that waste money? Who can assess your team, identify gaps, and either train them up or tell you what roles you actually need to hire?
Someone who shows up, diagnoses the real problems (not just symptoms), builds the system, and sticks around long enough to make sure it works.
Not a consultant who hands you a strategy and leaves. Not an agency that treats you like account number 47. Not a junior person learning on your rupee.
A strategic marketing leader who takes responsibility for outcomes, works embedded with your team, and costs a fraction of a full-time executive.
That's a fractional CMO.
How fractional CMO services work
A fractional CMO gives you executive-level marketing leadership for 2-3 days per week, or whatever your business needs right now. They work directly with your team, report to you, and own marketing outcomes the same way a full-time CMO would.
The difference: you pay for expertise and results, not for filling a chair five days a week.
Think of it like having a master strategist who understands your business deeply, works exclusively on your growth during their committed time, and brings 15-20 years of pattern recognition to every decision.
We offer three fractional CMO approaches based on what your business needs right now:
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Fractional chief digital officer
Your website exists. Your social media posts. You run some ads. But nothing connects into a system that predictably generates revenue. A fractional CDO audits your entire digital ecosystem, identifies what's broken and what's missing, then builds the infrastructure that turns your digital presence into a revenue machine.
This means: marketing automation that nurtures leads without manual work. Conversion optimization that turns more visitors into customers. Social media strategy that builds an audience and drives pipeline. Digital advertising that generates qualified leads at profitable costs. Analytics systems that show what's working and what's wasting money.
Your fractional CDO integrates everything so your digital channels work together instead of competing for attention.
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Fractional marketing director
Your team runs campaigns, creates content, and manages vendors. But there's no strategic thread connecting it all. Everyone's busy, but revenue isn't growing proportionally. A fractional marketing director provides the day-to-day leadership your team needs to execute campaigns that generate revenue, not just activity.
This means: managing your marketing team's priorities and performance. Overseeing campaign development from strategy through execution. Analyzing what's working and killing what's not. Making budget decisions based on ROI, not gut feel. Ensuring every marketing rupee spent contributes to revenue growth.
Your fractional marketing director turns a group of individual contributors into a high-performing team with clear direction and accountability.
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Fractional brand strategist
Your brand message changes depending on who writes it. Your positioning sounds like everyone else in your category. Customers don't understand why they should choose you over alternatives. A fractional brand strategist builds the strategic foundation that makes all other marketing more effective.
This means: defining your brand positioning so you own a specific space in your market. Developing messaging that differentiates you from competitors in ways customers care about. Creating brand guidelines that ensure consistency across every customer touchpoint. Building outreach strategies that turn brand awareness into customer relationships.
Your fractional brand strategist gives your company a clear, compelling story that makes selling easier and marketing more efficient.
Your next step
Book a meeting. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just two business leaders discussing whether fractional CMO services make sense for your specific situation. We'll analyze your current marketing performance and identify immediate improvement opportunities. We'll discuss your growth objectives and create a preliminary strategic roadmap. We'll determine which fractional CMO approach fits your business needs right now. We'll outline expected outcomes and realistic timelines.
When you need a fractional CMO
You're ready for a fractional CMO when your marketing budget exceeds ₹75 lacs annually, but results feel inconsistent. When you have marketing people but no strategic direction. When your sales team says marketing leads need too much nurturing before they're ready to buy.
These situations tell us you're ready:
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Your revenue hit a plateau despite increasing marketing spend.
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You can't figure out what's working and what's wasting money.
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Your marketing team requests more budget but can't show a clear ROI.
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Different marketing channels work in isolation instead of supporting each other.
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Your brand message varies depending on who creates the content.
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Competitors are gaining market share, and you don't know how to respond strategically.
Business inflection points where fractional CMO leadership matters most:
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Pre-funding or acquisition preparation. Investors want systematic, scalable marketing strategies, not founder hustle.
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Market expansion. Entering new markets or segments requires strategic marketing leadership, not just translated campaigns.
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Major product launches. New products need comprehensive go-to-market strategies built on customer insights, not guesses.
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Competitive threats. Market disruption demands rapid strategic response, not incremental tweaks to what you're already doing.
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Marketing leadership transitions. Between full-time executives, strategic continuity prevents momentum loss and team drift.
Why companies choose Trigger Worldwide
We position brands the same way we position ourselves. Using the same frameworks, the same rigor, the same brutal honesty about who you're for and who you're not.
When we take on a fractional CMO engagement, we're not learning on your time. We've already solved problems like yours for companies at your stage. We know what works in the Bangalore market and what's just noise imported from Silicon Valley blogs.
Based in Bangalore's Silicon Software Technology City, we understand local market dynamics and global marketing trends. Our team brings expertise across advertising, marketing, communication, branding, sales, and design. This means we build comprehensive strategies, not disconnected tactics.
We help marketers fix marketing problems, create unfair advantages, accelerate go-to-market strategies, build inspired futures, and save marketing money. This isn't a tagline. It's our methodology. Every engagement follows this system because it delivers measurable improvements.
Your success becomes our success. We work as partners, not vendors. We take responsibility for outcomes, not just deliverables. This alignment keeps us focused on activities that drive real business results.
Service Model
Service Model: Fractional CMO
Monthly Cost: ₹1 - 1.5 lacs
Time Commitment: 1-3 days/ week
Best for: Companies with ₹75L+ annual marketing budgets needing strategic leadership
Service Model: Full-time CMO
Monthly Cost: ₹3,5 - 5 lacs
Time Commitment: 5 days/ week
Best for: Large companies with ₹2Cr+ budgets requiring full-time executive presence
Service Model: Marketing Agency
Monthly Cost: ₹2 - 4 lacs
Time Commitment: Variable
Best for: Tactical execution without strategic ownership
Service Model: Marketing Consultant
Monthly Cost: ₹0.5 - 1.5 lacs
Time Commitment: Project-based
Best for: One-time strategy development without implementation
Fractional CMO services represent 60-70% savings compared to a full-time CMO salary, with zero recruitment costs, no benefits overhead, and no severance risk.
You get immediate impact instead of a 6-month ramp-up time. Broader experience from working across multiple companies and industries. The flexibility to increase or decrease involvement based on your current needs. And the ability to test strategic direction without long-term employment commitments.
Results that matter
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Fractional CMOs generate an average 64% net revenue increase, according to research. But more important than averages: we track your specific metrics. Revenue growth. Cost per acquisition. Customer lifetime value. Marketing ROI. Pipeline quality. Brand awareness.
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We establish baseline metrics in the first 30 days, implement improvements in days 31-90, and demonstrate measurable results by day 180. No vague promises. Clear numbers tied to business outcomes.
Your next step
Book a meeting. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just two business leaders discussing whether fractional CMO services make sense for your specific situation. We'll analyze your current marketing performance and identify immediate improvement opportunities. We'll discuss your growth objectives and create a preliminary strategic roadmap. We'll determine which fractional CMO approach fits your business needs right now. We'll outline expected outcomes and realistic timelines.
How your team benefits
Your existing marketing team doesn't get replaced. They get elevated.
A fractional CMO provides senior-level mentorship and strategic guidance that helps your team members grow professionally. Instead of guessing at priorities, they understand exactly what to focus on and why it matters. Instead of feeling scattered, they see how their work connects to business objectives.
Role definition becomes clear. Team members know their specific responsibilities and how their performance gets measured. This clarity improves results and job satisfaction while reducing internal confusion and conflict.
Skills transfer happens naturally. Your team learns strategic thinking by working alongside someone who's done it successfully for 15-20 years. This creates lasting value that continues long after the fractional engagement ends.
Cross-department collaboration improves. Marketing strategies require coordination with sales, product, and customer success. A fractional CMO facilitates these relationships and ensures marketing actually supports what the rest of the company needs to succeed.
What happens in the first 180 days
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First 30 days: Strategic foundation
Complete marketing audit examining every channel, campaign, and cost. Competitive analysis showing where you stand and where gaps exist. Baseline metrics establishment, so we know what success looks like. Strategic roadmap creation with clear milestones and resource requirements.
You'll know exactly what's broken, what's working but underutilized, and what's missing entirely. No opinions. Just a data-driven assessment.
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Days 31-90: Implementation and integration
Priority initiatives launch based on what will move the needle fastest. Marketing systems get integrated so data flows between tools instead of sitting in silos. Team processes and accountability measures get established. Campaign optimization begins based on performance data, not hunches.
You'll see momentum. Things that weren't working get fixed. Things that were working get amplified. Your team moves faster because direction is clear.
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Days 91-180: Optimization and scaling
Successful initiatives scale across additional channels and segments. Underperforming areas get refined or killed. Key metrics show measurable improvements. Long-term strategic plans are developed for continued growth beyond the initial engagement.
You'll have proof. Revenue increases are tied directly to marketing activities. Customer acquisition costs drop. Pipeline quality improves. Marketing ROI becomes clear instead of mysterious.
What makes this different
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Most fractional CMOs come from corporate backgrounds. They know how to manage big teams and bigger budgets. But fast-growing companies in Bangalore don't need someone who managed 50 people at a multinational. They need someone who has built marketing systems from scratch multiple times.
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We've positioned dozens of companies using frameworks that work. When we position your company, we use the same rigorous approach we'd use launching a B2B SaaS product. Same frameworks. Same brutal honesty about who you're for and who you're not. Same strategic discipline.
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This matters because positioning drives everything else. Get positioning right, and your messaging writes itself. Your content strategy becomes obvious. Your channel focus gets clear. Your offer design makes sense.
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Get positioning wrong, and you market to everyone while resonating with no one. Your messaging feels generic. Your offer remains unclear. Your audience scrolls past.
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We fix the foundation first. Then we build the marketing system on solid ground.
Your next step
Book a meeting. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just two business leaders discussing whether fractional CMO services make sense for your specific situation. We'll analyze your current marketing performance and identify immediate improvement opportunities. We'll discuss your growth objectives and create a preliminary strategic roadmap. We'll determine which fractional CMO approach fits your business needs right now. We'll outline expected outcomes and realistic timelines.
What you'll walk away with:
Specific areas where your marketing underperforms and why. Opportunities for immediate improvements that require minimal investment. Strategic recommendations for sustainable growth. Clear next steps if you decide to move forward. Honest assessment of whether our services match your needs right now.
Suppose fractional CMO services make sense for your business. In that case, we'll create a customized proposal outlining specific strategic priorities, recommended approach, and time commitment, clear success metrics, implementation timeline with milestone checkpoints, and investment required with expected return.
If it doesn't make sense right now, we'll tell you that too. Maybe you need to hire a full-time person. Maybe you need to fix something else first. Maybe your marketing is actually fine, and the problem sits somewhere else in the business.
Either way, you'll leave the conversation with clarity about your next move.
Frequently asked questions about fractional CMO services
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What does a fractional CMO actually do on a day-to-day basis?
A fractional CMO divides their time between strategic planning and tactical oversight. In a typical week, they spend time analyzing marketing performance data and adjusting strategies based on results, meeting with your marketing team to provide direction and remove blockers, reviewing campaigns and content before launch to ensure brand and strategy alignment, collaborating with sales and product teams to ensure marketing supports business objectives, and making budget allocation decisions based on ROI data.
They work embedded with your team, not as an external consultant. They attend key meetings, make decisions in real-time, and take responsibility for outcomes just like a full-time CMO would.
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How is a fractional CMO different from a marketing consultant?
A marketing consultant analyzes your situation, builds recommendations, delivers a strategy deck, then moves on to the next client. You're left implementing their advice without ongoing support.
A fractional CMO stays embedded with your business. They build the strategy and oversee implementation. They adjust tactics based on real-world results. They develop your team's capabilities over time. They take accountability for revenue outcomes, not just strategic recommendations.
The consultant tells you what to do. The fractional CMO does it with you, then ensures your team can sustain it.
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When should I hire a fractional CMO vs a full-time CMO?
Hire a fractional CMO when your annual marketing budget is ₹75 lacs to ₹2 crores and you need strategic leadership but don't require a full-time executive presence yet. When you're between marketing leaders and need continuity. When you're testing new markets or products and need experienced guidance without long-term commitment.
Hire a full-time CMO when your marketing budget exceeds ₹2 crores consistently. When you need someone in the office five days a week, managing a large team. When your market position requires constant competitive response and full-time strategic attention. When you're at a scale where a fractional arrangement can't provide enough dedicated time.
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How long does it take to see results from a fractional CMO?
First 30 days: You'll see clarity. The marketing audit reveals what's broken, what's working, and what's missing. You'll have a strategic roadmap with clear priorities and expected outcomes.
Days 31-90: You'll see momentum. Priority initiatives launch. Marketing systems get integrated. Team productivity improves because direction is clear. Early performance indicators show whether strategies are working.
Days 91-180: You'll see proof. Revenue increases tied to specific marketing activities. Customer acquisition costs drop. Pipeline quality improves. Marketing ROI becomes measurable instead of mysterious.
Most companies see meaningful improvements in key metrics within 90-120 days.
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What size company benefits most from fractional CMO services?
Companies with ₹5-50 crores in annual revenue get the most value. You're past the startup phase where founders do everything. You have some marketing budget and possibly a small team. But you're not large enough to justify a ₹40-60 lac full-time CMO salary plus benefits.
Your marketing budget typically ranges from ₹75 lacs to ₹2 crores annually. You're in growth mode, entering new markets, launching new products, or preparing for funding. You need strategic marketing leadership to scale, but you need it to be cost-effective and flexible.
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Can a fractional CMO work with my existing marketing team?
Yes. A fractional CMO elevates your existing team rather than replacing them. They provide strategic direction, mentorship, and skill development. Your team members learn to think strategically by working alongside someone who has built marketing systems successfully for 15-20 years.
The fractional CMO assesses your team's capabilities, identifies skill gaps, and either trains them up or advises you on what roles to hire. They manage team priorities, ensure accountability, and facilitate collaboration with sales and product teams.
Your team gets clearer direction, professional development, and the leadership they need to perform at a higher level.
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What's the typical contract length for fractional CMO services?
Most engagements run 6-12 months initially. This timeframe allows enough time to build a strategy, implement systems, demonstrate results, and ensure your team can sustain the improvements.
Some companies extend beyond 12 months for ongoing strategic guidance. Others transition to a full-time CMO hire once they reach the scale that justifies it. A few discover they only needed the fractional CMO for a specific initiative, like a market launch or rebrand.
The flexibility is built in. You're not locked into multi-year employment contracts. If the engagement isn't delivering value, either side can exit with reasonable notice.
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How do you measure success in a fractional CMO engagement?
We establish baseline metrics in the first 30 days across six key areas:
Revenue growth: Direct correlation between marketing activities and revenue increases. Cost per acquisition: Improved efficiency in customer acquisition across all channels. Customer lifetime value: Enhanced retention and upsell opportunities
Marketing ROI: Clear return on investment for all marketing expenditures. Pipeline quality: Improved lead quality and sales conversion rates. Brand awareness: Measurable improvements in market recognition and preference
Every 30 days, we review progress against these baselines. If something isn't working, we adjust strategy immediately rather than waiting for quarterly reviews. You always know where you stand and whether the investment is paying off.
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Do I need to be in Bangalore to work with Trigger Worldwide?
No. While we're based in Bangalore and understand local market dynamics deeply, we work with clients across India and internationally. Fractional CMO engagements work effectively with a combination of on-site visits and remote collaboration.
For Bangalore-based companies, we typically spend 1-2 days per week on-site and handle the rest remotely. For companies in other cities, we visit quarterly or as needed for key strategic sessions, with weekly video meetings and async collaboration in between.
The engagement model stays flexible based on what your business needs and where your team is located.
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What happens after the fractional CMO engagement ends?
You keep everything we built together. The marketing strategy, systems, processes, and team capabilities all stay with your company. Unlike agencies that take their expertise with them, the fractional CMO's work becomes embedded in your organization.
Your team has learned strategic thinking by working alongside senior leadership. Your systems run without constant oversight. Your marketing continues generating results because the foundation is solid.
Some companies hire a full-time CMO at this point and have them take over a functioning system. Others promote someone internally who learned under the fractional CMO's guidance. A few extend the fractional arrangement because it continues working well for their situation.
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How is the ₹1-1.5 lacs monthly fee structured?
The fee covers 1-3 days per week of dedicated strategic leadership time. This includes on-site meetings, team oversight, strategic planning, performance analysis, vendor management, and async collaboration.
You're not paying hourly. You're paying for outcomes and access to senior expertise. Some weeks require more time during critical launches or strategy development. Other weeks require less. It balances out over the month.
The fee does not include advertising spend, vendor costs, or additional team hires. Those come from your marketing budget. The fractional CMO helps you allocate that budget effectively and ensures you're getting ROI from every rupee spent.
Your next step
Book a meeting. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just two business leaders discussing whether fractional CMO services make sense for your specific situation. We'll analyze your current marketing performance and identify immediate improvement opportunities. We'll discuss your growth objectives and create a preliminary strategic roadmap. We'll determine which fractional CMO approach fits your business needs right now. We'll outline expected outcomes and realistic timelines.