What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing agency?

An agency executes a brief. A fractional CMO writes the brief. The agency is a vendor; the fractional CMO is an operator at the leadership table.

Can I hire both a fractional CMO and an agency?

Yes, and that is often the right shape. The fractional CMO sets the strategy and brief; the agency executes against it. At IG the execution is in-house across six specialty teams, so the two roles share a P&L.

Comparable at the engagement level. A fractional CMO at $10K-$25K/month is in the same range as a mid-size agency retainer. The fractional CMO adds strategic ownership; the agency adds execution capacity.

Fractional CMO · vs Marketing Agency

Fractional CMO vs Marketing Agency

An agency executes a brief. A fractional CMO writes the brief. The combination of both, under one operator, is the structure most mid-market companies actually need and almost no one sells.

A marketing agency is a vendor. You hand them a brief and they ship the work. A fractional CMO is an operator. They write the brief in the first place.

The two are not interchangeable. The distinction shows up immediately when a company tries to swap one for the other.

Dimension	Fractional CMO at IG	Marketing Agency
What they own	Strategy + brief writing + outcomes	Execution against a brief you provide
Who writes the marketing plan	They do	You do (or they push back on yours)
Reporting line	CMO seat at the leadership table	Vendor relationship with marketing lead
Pricing logic	By scope/outcome	By project, retainer, or hours
When you need them	Strategy gap	Execution capacity gap
Switching cost	Engagement scoped to outcome	Vendor swap, new brief, new ramp

What they own

IG: Strategy + brief writing + outcomes

Marketing Agency: Execution against a brief you provide

Who writes the marketing plan

IG: They do

Marketing Agency: You do (or they push back on yours)

Reporting line

IG: CMO seat at the leadership table

Marketing Agency: Vendor relationship with marketing lead

Pricing logic

IG: By scope/outcome

Marketing Agency: By project, retainer, or hours

When you need them

IG: Strategy gap

Marketing Agency: Execution capacity gap

Switching cost

IG: Engagement scoped to outcome

Marketing Agency: Vendor swap, new brief, new ramp

The IG model: both, under one P&L

When IG takes a fractional CMO mandate, the six specialty teams move with the operator. Business Growth, Digital Marketing & Technology, AI Solutions, Products, Education & Enablement, Funding & Incubation. A fractional CMO at IG is not deciding strategy and then hiring an agency to execute. The execution capacity is in-house.

This is the structural answer to the agency-vs-fractional tradeoff that most mid-market companies hit. They need both. Most firms in the market sell only one.

When an agency is the right call

You already have a senior marketing leader. The strategy is set. The brief is clear. You need execution capacity at speed and quality you cannot hire fast enough to build in-house.

You have a one-off campaign or platform launch and want a specialist team that has shipped this exact motion before.

When a fractional CMO is the right call

The strategy is not set. The brief is unclear. You need senior judgment before you spend agency dollars on the wrong thing.

You have execution capacity but no leadership for the function. The team can ship; they need someone telling them what to ship.

The combination structure

A fractional CMO leading an agency engagement, or a fractional CMO leading IG's integrated specialty teams, is the highest-leverage shape for mid-market. The strategy and the execution share a P&L. The handoff cost is zero.

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