Hire the Top Rated Fractional CMO for Entertainment

Ross Kernez is a digital marketer, community builder, mentor, and author. He is the founder of NYC-based SEO Meetup, a group of 2900 marketing professionals who meet monthly to network and discuss the latest trends and happenings in the industry.

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Published: 07.11.2024

As a Fractional CMO for Entertainment, I leverage over 15 years of proven experience in driving significant business growth through strategic and innovative marketing solutions. My approach is designed to provide small businesses, start-ups, mid-sized and enterprise companies with the leadership and expertise they need, without the long-term commitment or high cost of a full-time executive. I have worked in the digital marketing field as an independent marketing consultant working with enterprise companies and startups—advising on Earned media (SEO, ASO, Content Marketing, Digital PR, Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Affiliate Marketing), Paid media (Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic, Media Strategy),Creative (Branding & Web design), CRO & UX.

By working with me, you gain access to top-tier marketing leadership and the ability to implement advanced marketing strategies that are tailored to your unique business goals. My expertise covers a wide range of industries, enabling me to bring a fresh, adaptable perspective to each client. From omni channel marketing and brand development to demand generation and go-to-market strategies, I ensure that your business stays ahead of the curve, benefiting from the latest marketing trends and insights. Whether you're looking to enter new markets, boost lead generation, or enhance your overall brand presence, I can help craft and execute a strategic marketing plan that aligns with your business objectives.

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Hire the Top Rated Fractional CMO for Entertainment

"If you can work with Ross, make it happen — you won't regret it!"

— Jennifer Anderson

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Unlock your brand's full potential with a top-rated Fractional CMO for Entertainment

In today’s fast-paced and competitive market, businesses need expert marketing leadership to stand out and drive growth. But hiring a full-time CMO can be costly and often unnecessary. That’s where a top-rated Fractional CMO comes in—offering the strategic expertise of a chief marketing officer without the overhead of a full-time hire.

As a Fractional CMO, I deliver customized marketing strategies tailored to your business needs. From optimizing your brand positioning to scaling digital marketing efforts, I provide the insights, leadership, and execution needed to achieve measurable results. Whether you're a startup looking to scale or an established company seeking to refine your strategy, I help unlock the true potential of your brand.

With proven success across diverse industries, I bring a fresh perspective and actionable solutions to every challenge. Partner with me, and together we’ll accelerate your business growth while staying agile and cost-effective. Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Let's connect!

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What can I bring to your company when you hire me as Fractional CMO for Entertainment?

I find myself in a privileged position through hosting my marketing meetups, where I have access to a wealth of data alongside my fellow members. These gatherings serve as a fertile ground for the exchange of insights and information stemming from diverse industries. My team and I take it upon ourselves to meticulously gather and arrange this data, ensuring that every participant can reap the benefits from a broad pool of knowledge. As we all know, unstructured data holds little to no value, much like unmined gold lying dormant underground, waiting to be discovered and valued..

We delve into this data reservoir, sifting through to find and present the most valuable pieces of information — the golden nuggets that can offer substantial learning experiences to our attendees.

Would you be interested in granting your attendees access to this repository of golden opportunities?

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Experienced Fractional CMO for Entertainment

I have worked in numerous large enterprises within the marketing & SEO departments. Taking these businesses up the search engine result pages (SERPS), these roles formed the bases of my experience.

I have also been fortunate enough to advise & consult numerous smaller and medium businesses across a wide array of verticals and this also greatly enhanced my knowledge about the market and of course how to implement a ‘search’ strategy to garner visibility and generate revenue.

Who is Ross Kernez?

With over 15+ years of experience, I specialize in building marketing systems that consistently attract and retain customers. My approach is rooted in meticulous processes, ensuring that every aspect of my work is efficient, scalable, and impactful. From complex tasks like SEO to comprehensive strategies, I design systems that minimize friction and cost while maximizing results.

Ross is deeply involved in the marketing and tech community, mentoring startups at organizations like Techstars and Starta. He is known for his expertise in search engine optimization, digital marketing, and leveraging data analytics for marketing success.

Here’s some feedback from someone who has worked with Ross

Bringing on a fractional CMO for our entertainment company was one of the best decisions we’ve made. They completely transformed the way we approached marketing for our upcoming film release. Their ability to craft a compelling story around the project, build buzz through digital and social channels, and engage influencers helped us generate significant interest before the trailer even dropped. They guided us on everything from content strategy to paid ad campaigns, ensuring we reached our target audience at the right time. Even though they were fractional, it felt like they were fully embedded in our team. The results were evident in the strong turnout and media attention we received on opening weekend.

— James W.

We worked with a fractional CMO to help promote a live concert series, and their impact was incredible. They brought a fresh, data-driven approach to our social media and advertising strategies, helping us maximize visibility and drive ticket sales. From identifying key audience segments to creating highly engaging content, they knew exactly how to reach our fans and keep them excited in the lead-up to the event. Their ability to balance organic engagement with paid media was particularly impressive. Thanks to their leadership, we saw a significant increase in ticket sales, and the buzz they generated extended beyond the event itself, building lasting engagement with our audience.

— Daniel P.

Our experience with a fractional CMO in the entertainment industry was outstanding. We were launching a new podcast and needed help building our brand and audience from scratch. The CMO developed a clear marketing strategy that aligned perfectly with our vision, focusing on creating compelling content and leveraging influencer partnerships. They handled everything from optimizing our social media presence to running targeted ad campaigns that boosted our visibility and drew in listeners. Their PR efforts also paid off, landing us features in key entertainment outlets. The level of expertise they brought to the table was exactly what we needed to get our project off the ground, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.

— Elizabeth R.

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My Process

Let's Collaborate

1. Describe your project

2.Schedule a Call

3. Develop Strategic High Level Plan

4. Accountability on both sides

What should you expect from your Fractional CMO for Entertainment

When working with a fractional CMO for the entertainment industry, you should expect a marketing leader who understands the dynamic and fast-paced nature of entertainment, including the need to build excitement, connect with audiences, and stay ahead of rapidly changing trends. The entertainment sector relies heavily on audience engagement, storytelling, and brand building, and a fractional CMO brings the strategic leadership needed to ensure your brand, project, or product is effectively positioned and marketed.

The fractional CMO will begin by analyzing your current marketing efforts and identifying areas for improvement. This could include assessing your brand’s visibility, audience engagement, and the effectiveness of current campaigns. They will focus on creating a clear, tailored marketing strategy that aligns with your business goals, whether it’s promoting a film, launching a new streaming platform, expanding a fan base for a music artist, or driving ticket sales for live events.

One of the key strengths a fractional CMO brings is expertise in content marketing, which is especially important in entertainment. The CMO will help shape and manage your content strategy across multiple platforms, ensuring that your storytelling is compelling and consistent. They’ll work to create buzz around your entertainment projects, using digital marketing, social media, and other promotional tools to drive audience engagement. This often includes leveraging influencers, creating behind-the-scenes content, and tapping into fan-driven content creation to maximize organic reach.

Given the entertainment industry’s reliance on social media, a fractional CMO will focus on optimizing your presence on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter, where your audience is most active. They will develop strategies for increasing followers, engagement, and shareability, creating content that resonates with fans and drives interactions. These strategies are often data-driven, and the CMO will track audience behavior, engagement metrics, and campaign effectiveness to refine and optimize efforts continually.

A key responsibility of the fractional CMO will be integrating both organic and paid media strategies. In entertainment, reaching the right audience at the right time is essential, and a CMO will manage targeted digital ad campaigns designed to maximize visibility, whether through social media ads, search engine marketing, or programmatic ads. They will ensure that your brand’s message is seen by the intended audience, especially during key promotion windows, such as premieres, album launches, or event ticket releases.

Storytelling is at the heart of entertainment marketing, and a fractional CMO will help craft a brand narrative that is engaging and authentic. This might involve developing a unique tone or voice for your brand that appeals to your target demographic, whether you’re reaching a younger audience through viral content or an older demographic through more traditional media. The CMO will also work on building partnerships and collaborations, often a critical component in entertainment marketing, to amplify your reach. Whether through influencer partnerships, media sponsorships, or strategic alliances with other brands, the CMO ensures your content is being promoted through the right channels.

Additionally, the CMO will focus on public relations efforts, ensuring that your entertainment brand or project garners media coverage in the right outlets. This may involve securing interviews, reviews, or placements in entertainment publications, as well as building relationships with key journalists, influencers, and media personalities. A strong PR strategy, orchestrated by the CMO, will help drive buzz and conversation around your entertainment project.

Fan engagement and retention are crucial in entertainment, and a fractional CMO will help develop strategies that keep your audience engaged over the long term. This could include fostering online fan communities, offering exclusive content, or creating interactive campaigns that encourage audience participation. By keeping your fan base engaged, the CMO ensures that your brand continues to grow and retain its relevance in a competitive market.

In summary, a fractional CMO for the entertainment industry will provide high-level marketing leadership that drives audience engagement, promotes your projects, and builds your brand’s presence across various channels. They will use a combination of storytelling, digital marketing, social media strategy, and PR to ensure your entertainment brand or project stands out and succeeds in the fast-moving entertainment landscape. Through data-driven strategies and creative content, they will work to build excitement, capture attention, and drive the growth of your audience and business.

Topics that I can cover

Programmatic Marketing

Growth Marketing

Paid Search Marketing

Paid Social Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Digital PR

SEO Marketing

Social Media Marketing

FAQs

What is a Fractional CMO, and how does this role apply to the entertainment industry?

A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is a senior marketing executive who works with a company on a part-time or project-based basis, offering high-level marketing expertise without the full-time cost. In the entertainment industry, this role is critical because the sector is driven by fast-moving trends, audience engagement, and constant innovation. A fractional CMO brings a strategic approach to marketing, helping entertainment companies, artists, studios, or production houses craft compelling campaigns that captivate audiences, build brands, and drive revenue.

The entertainment industry is a unique and fast-paced environment, where marketing plays a vital role in the success of movies, TV shows, music albums, live events, and even digital content like streaming platforms and podcasts. A fractional CMO for entertainment takes a holistic approach to marketing, ensuring that each project, from a film release to a concert series or a media platform launch, gets the attention and audience engagement it deserves. The fractional CMO is responsible for overseeing everything from audience targeting and content creation to digital marketing campaigns, public relations, and partnerships.

In the entertainment space, it is crucial to generate buzz, connect with audiences, and maintain relevance in a highly competitive market. This requires more than just conventional marketing strategies. A fractional CMO will dive into the cultural, social, and technological trends driving the entertainment sector to create campaigns that resonate with target audiences. They will shape the messaging for the project or brand, ensuring it is aligned with both the business goals and the preferences of the audience.

The role of a fractional CMO is to take a comprehensive approach to your marketing strategy. First, they assess your current marketing efforts, looking at how well your content, brand, or project is positioned in the market and how effectively you are reaching your intended audience. After analyzing these factors, the CMO designs a custom marketing plan that may include strategies for brand positioning, social media management, content marketing, influencer outreach, paid media, and public relations. The goal is to ensure your brand or entertainment project stands out and captures the attention of audiences, investors, or fans.

In the entertainment industry, content marketing is central to any promotional effort. A fractional CMO helps shape your content strategy, ensuring it is engaging, relatable, and shareable. They focus on developing a narrative around your brand or project that builds excitement and anticipation. This may involve creating promotional materials like behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive interviews, or teaser trailers. Additionally, the CMO will ensure this content is distributed effectively across platforms where your target audience is most active, such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter.

Digital marketing is another key area where a fractional CMO can make a significant impact in the entertainment industry. They will optimize your online presence, ensuring that your website, social media accounts, and digital ads are driving traffic, generating leads, and engaging audiences. This often involves running targeted digital ad campaigns that promote new releases, upcoming events, or streaming content. The CMO will also focus on search engine optimization (SEO), ensuring that when people search for entertainment related to your industry or project, your brand is visible and easily accessible.

Social media plays an integral role in entertainment marketing, as platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube are where fans connect with their favorite artists, follow movie releases, engage with TV shows, and discover new music. A fractional CMO helps manage and grow your social media presence, creating content that speaks to your audience and encourages interaction. Whether it’s viral challenges, behind-the-scenes posts, or collaborations with influencers, the CMO will ensure your social media efforts are effective in reaching and engaging your target demographic.

Public relations (PR) is another essential component of entertainment marketing, and a fractional CMO will ensure that your brand or project gets the media attention it deserves. This may involve securing interviews, reviews, and features in key entertainment outlets, as well as building relationships with influential media personalities, bloggers, and critics. PR efforts will be closely coordinated with the overall marketing strategy to ensure that the messaging is consistent and that all media exposure aligns with the brand’s objectives.

The entertainment industry thrives on partnerships and collaborations, and a fractional CMO is well-versed in leveraging these opportunities to amplify reach. Whether it’s through influencer partnerships, sponsorships, or media collaborations, the CMO helps to create strategic alliances that enhance visibility and drive audience engagement. These partnerships are particularly important for boosting the profile of films, concerts, music releases, and digital platforms.

Additionally, entertainment marketing is often driven by data, and a fractional CMO uses data-driven decision-making to ensure that marketing efforts are producing measurable results. The CMO will track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates, conversion rates, follower growth, and campaign performance. This data is used to continually refine and optimize marketing strategies, ensuring that each effort is as effective as possible in driving awareness, sales, or audience growth.

In summary, a Fractional CMO in the entertainment industry provides leadership in marketing strategy, audience engagement, and brand positioning. They help entertainment brands and projects stand out in a crowded market by using digital marketing, social media, content creation, PR, and partnerships to build awareness and excitement. Their flexible, part-time approach allows entertainment companies to access top-tier marketing expertise without the full-time commitment, ensuring that marketing efforts are both cost-effective and highly impactful.

Why should an entertainment company hire a Fractional CMO instead of a full-time CMO?

There are several reasons why an entertainment company might choose to hire a fractional CMO rather than a full-time marketing executive. One of the most compelling reasons is cost efficiency. Hiring a full-time CMO typically requires a significant financial investment, including salary, benefits, and bonuses, which can be a substantial cost for small to mid-sized entertainment companies, independent studios, or emerging artists. A fractional CMO offers the same level of expertise and leadership but at a fraction of the cost. This allows companies to access high-level marketing guidance without overextending their budget.

In addition to being cost-effective, a fractional CMO provides a level of flexibility that is particularly valuable in the entertainment industry. The nature of entertainment marketing often involves peak periods of intense activity around product releases, such as movie premieres, album launches, or live events. However, there may be periods when the marketing demand slows down. A fractional CMO can scale their involvement based on the company’s needs, stepping in during critical promotional phases and scaling back when those efforts are not needed. This ensures that the company has access to marketing expertise when it’s most needed without paying for a full-time executive during slower times.

Another key advantage of hiring a fractional CMO is the diverse experience they bring. Fractional CMOs often work with multiple clients across various industries, giving them a broad perspective on marketing strategies and trends. In the entertainment industry, where staying ahead of trends and constantly innovating is critical, the fresh ideas and innovative approaches brought by a fractional CMO can be invaluable. They may introduce creative tactics that the company had not previously considered, helping the entertainment brand stay relevant and ahead of the competition.

Hiring a fractional CMO also allows for faster results. Since these professionals are often brought in to address specific challenges or meet particular goals, they tend to hit the ground running. Whether the company is looking to increase brand awareness, drive ticket sales, or promote a new streaming platform, a fractional CMO provides the strategic leadership needed to execute these initiatives efficiently. Their ability to deliver quick wins while also focusing on long-term growth ensures that the company sees measurable improvements in a short period.

For entertainment companies that already have an internal marketing team, a fractional CMO can provide leadership and mentorship to help optimize the team’s performance. In this scenario, the fractional CMO works alongside the existing team to refine strategies, introduce best practices, and ensure that all marketing efforts are aligned with the company’s overall business objectives. This collaborative approach allows the company to leverage its in-house resources while benefiting from the high-level strategic insight of a seasoned marketing executive.

Finally, a fractional CMO is ideal for entertainment companies that are in a period of transition or growth. Whether the company is launching a new project, expanding into new markets, or rebranding, a fractional CMO provides the marketing leadership needed to navigate these changes successfully. Their flexible, part-time approach allows the company to scale its marketing efforts without the long-term commitment of a full-time role, making them an invaluable asset during periods of expansion or strategic shifts.

What specific challenges does a Fractional CMO address for entertainment companies?

Entertainment companies face several unique marketing challenges, and a Fractional CMO is well-equipped to help address these through a combination of industry knowledge, creative strategies, and data-driven decision-making. One of the primary challenges in the entertainment industry is creating and maintaining audience engagement. With so much content competing for attention across various platforms, capturing and holding the audience’s interest is crucial for success. A fractional CMO helps entertainment companies develop and execute marketing strategies that engage audiences through compelling content, interactive campaigns, and storytelling that resonates with the target demographic.

Another significant challenge is building buzz and anticipation around a project, whether it’s a film, a concert, or a TV series. The entertainment industry relies heavily on building excitement leading up to a release or event, and the success of the project often depends on how well the marketing campaign generates anticipation. A fractional CMO helps create integrated marketing campaigns that use a mix of content marketing, social media, paid advertising, and public relations to build excitement and awareness in the lead-up to a release. This includes developing teaser content, leveraging influencer partnerships, and securing media coverage in entertainment outlets to ensure maximum visibility.

Social media marketing is another area where entertainment companies often face challenges. Social platforms are where fans connect with their favorite artists, follow movie or show updates, and engage with content, but managing social media effectively requires a deep understanding of each platform’s algorithms, audience behaviors, and trends. A fractional CMO helps companies optimize their social media presence by creating content that is tailored to each platform and designed to drive engagement. They develop strategies for increasing followers, boosting engagement, and creating viral moments that keep the brand or project in the public eye.

Content creation itself can be a challenge for many entertainment companies, particularly when it comes to producing high-quality, engaging content that stands out in a crowded marketplace. A fractional CMO helps develop a content strategy that aligns with the company’s goals and resonates with its audience. This includes creating promotional materials such as trailers, behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, and interactive content that encourages audience participation. The CMO ensures that this content is distributed effectively across platforms, from social media to video-sharing sites like YouTube.

Data-driven decision-making is another area where a fractional CMO provides significant value. In the entertainment industry, marketing campaigns are often driven by audience data, and a CMO helps companies analyze and interpret this data to refine their strategies. This might involve tracking audience engagement metrics, analyzing the performance of paid media campaigns, or assessing the effectiveness of content marketing efforts. By using data to inform decisions, the CMO ensures that marketing efforts are optimized for the best possible results.

Another challenge that entertainment companies face is managing public relations. In a field where public perception can make or break a project, maintaining a positive relationship with the media and influencers is crucial. A fractional CMO helps develop and implement a comprehensive PR strategy that ensures the company or project gets favorable media coverage. This might include securing interviews, reviews, and features in key entertainment publications, as well as building relationships with media outlets, bloggers, and social media influencers who can help amplify the brand’s message.

Partnerships and collaborations are another critical component of entertainment marketing, and a fractional CMO helps entertainment companies leverage these opportunities to their advantage. Whether it’s partnering with influencers, collaborating with other entertainment brands, or securing sponsorships, the CMO ensures that these alliances are strategically beneficial. These partnerships can be instrumental in extending the brand’s reach, increasing visibility, and enhancing credibility.

Lastly, entertainment companies often struggle with building a long-term fan base and maintaining audience loyalty. In a world where entertainment options are endless, it’s easy for audiences to move on to the next big thing, leaving behind brands or projects that fail to keep them engaged. A fractional CMO helps develop strategies that foster long-term fan engagement and loyalty. This might involve creating online fan communities, offering exclusive content or experiences, and continually interacting with fans through social media and other channels. By keeping the audience engaged over time, the CMO ensures that the brand or project remains relevant and top-of-mind, even in a competitive market.

How does a Fractional CMO help entertainment companies with digital marketing?

Digital marketing is a critical component of any modern entertainment marketing strategy, and a Fractional CMO helps entertainment companies leverage digital channels to increase visibility, generate buzz, and engage with fans. One of the first steps in building a successful digital marketing strategy is optimizing the company’s online presence. The CMO ensures that the company’s website, social media accounts, and digital ads are effectively promoting the brand, driving traffic, and engaging the audience. This often involves optimizing the company’s website for search engines, ensuring that it ranks well in search results when potential fans or customers are looking for entertainment related to the brand or project.

Social media plays a pivotal role in entertainment marketing, and a fractional CMO helps companies create a social media strategy that maximizes engagement and drives audience growth. This might involve creating visually engaging content for Instagram, running viral challenges on TikTok, or sharing video content on YouTube. The CMO also ensures that social media campaigns are data-driven, using insights from audience behavior and engagement metrics to refine strategies and improve results over time.

Paid advertising is another key component of digital marketing for entertainment companies. A fractional CMO helps manage and optimize paid media campaigns across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google Ads. These campaigns are designed to target specific demographics and drive awareness, ticket sales, or viewership. The CMO uses a combination of audience targeting, creative ad design, and performance tracking to ensure that paid ads are reaching the right audience and delivering a strong return on investment (ROI).

In addition to paid media, content marketing is essential for engaging audiences in the entertainment industry. A fractional CMO helps develop a content marketing strategy that includes the creation and distribution of engaging content such as trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews, and fan-driven content. This content is designed to generate excitement and build a community around the brand or project, helping to keep audiences engaged and invested in the outcome.

Finally, a fractional CMO helps entertainment companies stay agile in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The entertainment industry is constantly changing, with new platforms, technologies, and trends emerging regularly. A fractional CMO stays on top of these trends and adapts the company’s digital marketing strategy accordingly. Whether it’s leveraging new social media features, experimenting with augmented reality (AR) experiences, or tapping into the latest streaming trends, the CMO ensures that the company remains relevant and ahead of the curve in the digital space.

In conclusion, a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer for entertainment companies provides the strategic leadership needed to develop and execute marketing strategies that capture audience attention, build buzz, and drive engagement. With expertise in digital marketing, social media, PR, content creation, and partnerships, the CMO helps entertainment brands and projects stand out in a competitive market. Their flexible, part-time approach allows companies to access senior-level marketing expertise without the cost of a full-time executive, ensuring that marketing efforts are both effective and aligned with business goals. Through a combination of creative strategies, data-driven insights, and industry knowledge, a fractional CMO helps entertainment companies achieve long-term success and growth.

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Hire the Top Rated Fractional CMO for Entertainment

Hire the Top Rated Fractional CMO for Entertainment