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Fractional CMO in Toronto

Culture Cartel provides fractional CMO leadership in Toronto through its founder, Jarryd McDonald, a former CMO at Smith Power Equipment and Argo. He takes ownership of marketing strategy, budget, team and agencies for a set number of days a month, giving growing businesses executive leadership without a full-time executive salary.

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Brands we have worked with

  • Smith Power Equipment
  • Argo
  • GVA Lighting
  • Kubota
  • Polaris
  • Club Car
  • The Toro Company
  • CLAAS
  • JCB
  • BOMAG
  • Monster Energy
  • CMO Council

A CMO, not a consultant

Plenty of businesses reach the point where marketing needs an executive. The budget is real, the team is growing, the agencies need managing and the board wants answers. But a full-time CMO is a big commitment, and a wrong hire is expensive. A fractional CMO closes that gap. Senior judgement, actual accountability, on a schedule that fits the size of the business.

Who you get

Jarryd McDonald, founder of Culture Cartel. He has held the CMO title himself, more than once.

  • Former CMO at Smith Power Equipment. A multinational distributor with 19 brands across seven categories and six countries. He ran a separate marketing roadmap for every brand and kept five core brands at the number one market position.
  • Former CMO at Argo. A fintech venture backed by the Sprott Family and Peter Grosskopf. Brand, go-to-market and launch, built to institutional standards.
  • Group Head of Marketing at GVA Lighting. Built the internal marketing division from scratch and led the brand’s presence at Lightfair in New York.
  • Executive Creative Director at Mabala Noise. Built the creative department behind one of South Africa’s most influential labels.
  • CMO Council North America Advisory Board member.
  • Named in Martechvibe’s Top 20 CMOs to Watch in South Africa.

That mix matters. Brand, growth, creative departments and marketing operations, all run by the same person you will be working with.

What changes in the first 90 days

Clarity first. A written view of what marketing is for in your business, which activities earn their spend, and which do not. Then structure: who owns what, how agencies are briefed, how results get reported. Then momentum: a short list of moves that show the business marketing is working.

At Smith Power Equipment, the Managing Director put it this way: “They brought clarity, structure, and momentum at a level that genuinely changed the trajectory of the company. Quite simply, we would not be where we are today without Culture Cartel.”

Good fits

  • Founder-led businesses outgrowing ad hoc marketing.
  • Companies between CMOs who cannot afford a gap.
  • Distributors and dealers managing several brands at once.
  • Startups preparing a launch or a funding round.

Need AI built into how the team works? See AI marketing integration. If the brand itself needs rebuilding, see branding.

Start a conversation.

How it runs

The process.

  1. 01

    First 30 days

    Month 1

    Listen, audit and find the quick wins. Interviews with leadership, sales and the marketing team. A written read on what to stop, start and fix.

  2. 02

    The plan

    Month 2

    Positioning, priorities, budget and team structure, agreed with the leadership team.

  3. 03

    Run it

    Months 3 onward

    Weekly leadership with the team, monthly reporting to the business, quarterly reset of priorities.

  4. 04

    Build the bench

    As needed

    When the function is ready, help hire and hand over to a full-time leader.

Proof

Shipped, not
pitched.

Questions

Asked and
answered.

What is a fractional CMO?

A senior marketing executive who works part-time inside your business, with real ownership of the plan, the budget and the team. Not a consultant who hands over a deck and leaves.

How many days a month is typical?

Most engagements are two to six days a month, depending on the size of the team and how much is changing. It flexes up around launches and planning season.

How long does a fractional CMO engagement last?

Usually six to eighteen months. Long enough to set the strategy, fix the structure and see results. Some clients keep the arrangement longer; others transition to a full-time hire we help recruit.

What does a fractional CMO cost?

It is set by days per month and the scope of responsibility, and agreed as a monthly fee. Pricing on inquiry.

Can the fractional CMO also bring an agency team?

Yes. That is the advantage of working with Culture Cartel. The strategy and the execution can sit together, or the CMO can manage your existing agencies. Your call.

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