Fractional Marketing Leadership

Senior marketing leadership, without the full time hire

Fractional Marketing Leadership is ongoing senior marketing support on a retainer basis for retail, hospitality and experience brands operating in physical locations, including shopping centres and high traffic precincts. It is designed for businesses that need consistent direction, planning and oversight, without hiring a full time Head of Marketing or building an internal leadership team.

This is the middle ground between a consultant who hands you a plan and disappears, and a full time hire. You get a senior marketing lead in your corner to drive clarity, momentum and better decisions.

Best for

  • Retail, hospitality and experience brands operating in physical locations

  • Brands with a junior team who need senior direction and structure

  • Founders who want a calm, commercially led marketing partner

  • Teams managing launches, campaigns, partnerships, or rapid growth

  • Businesses that need consistency and oversight across channels

What you get

  • Ongoing senior marketing leadership without the full time overhead

  • Clear priorities and direction so the team knows what matters most

  • Campaign and calendar planning aligned to trade drivers and key moments

  • Better execution quality through review, guidance and decision support

  • Partner and stakeholder coordination when needed

  • A consistent marketing rhythm that protects focus and performance

What’s included

  • Strategic planning and marketing direction

  • Campaign oversight and launch support as required

  • Messaging and positioning guidance to keep the brand consistent

  • Channel direction across social, website and Google Business Profile

  • Content and creative review to lift quality and alignment

  • Partner coordination and stakeholder support where relevant

  • Internal guidance and decision support for founders and teams

Tangible take homes

  • Monthly priorities and direction memo (what to focus on this month)

  • Rolling 90 day plan (updated regularly as trade and priorities shift)

  • Campaign briefs and channel guidance for upcoming moments

  • Review notes and optimisation actions (what to adjust and why)

  • Simple performance snapshot (what is working, what is not, what to do next)

How it works

  • Retainer based, tailored to your business and team structure

  • Weekly or fortnightly leadership touchpoints depending on cadence

  • Ongoing support between sessions for reviews and decisions

  • Clear action tracking so momentum stays visible and accountable

Scope note

Fractional Marketing Leadership provides senior strategy, planning, guidance and oversight. Execution and specialist delivery can be added when needed and scoped separately.

How it fits with our other services

Strategy Sprint gives clarity on what needs to change.
Refresh & Grow turns that clarity into a structured marketing system.
Recover & Bloom is designed for brands facing commercial decline.
Grow & Bloom builds the foundations across brand, website and growth.
Launch Services supports new openings, relaunches and new locations.
Fractional Marketing Leadership provides ongoing senior direction and accountability.

EXPLORE FRACTIONAL MARKETING LEADERSHIP

  • “Darling Bloom helped us generate genuine buzz, strong partner support and meaningful visibility for Cookie Monster Café, without relying on paid media. Coreena played a critical role in the success of the Melbourne launch. Her calm leadership, strong relationships and clear thinking helped us achieve real scale and visibility, while navigating the complexities of licensed partnerships with warmth and competence.”

    — George Milevski, General Manager Cookie Monster Café - Melbourne

  • “We brought Coreena from Darling Bloom on as a Fractional Head of Marketing. In a short time she has hit the ground running, developing a national leasing strategy and exceptional leasing proposal, while also improving our local area marketing and centre engagement. We are thrilled to have her on board.”

    — Jonathan Hayden, CEO, Quantum Riot

  • "Throughout the project, Coreena was an absolute delight to work alongside. Her positive energy, thoughtful approach, and natural ability to bring people together helped guide the campaign to a successful presentation to the City of Melbourne. She consistently delivered professional, intelligent, and well-considered ideas, and her upbeat outlook made even the most challenging stages feel manageable. I’d happily work with her again on any future project.”

    — Brad Wright, Marketing Manager, Port Phillip Ferries

  • “Coreena has the ability to draw people together to collaborate on mutually rewarding marketing initiatives. She presents marketing ideas and plans with a sharp understanding of our business, and clearly articulates outcomes in terms of exposure, traffic, and sales. Always friendly, inclusive, and easy to work with, she willingly collaborates with marketing and operations teams to achieve optimum outcomes.”

    — Damon Lunardello, Area General Manager Victoria & New Zealand, Nesuto Hotels and Apartments

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Fractional Marketing Leadership is ongoing senior marketing support on a part time retainer basis. It gives your business a Head of Marketing level leader without hiring full time.

  • It is best for retail, hospitality and experience brands with a junior team or limited internal capability that need senior direction, planning and oversight to improve consistency and performance.

  • They set priorities, plan campaigns, guide messaging and channel direction, review execution quality, support decision making, and coordinate partners when needed.

  • It is senior strategy, planning and oversight. Execution can be added as separate scoped support if you want help delivering campaigns, content production coordination, or influencer management.

  • Strategy packages provide a reset and a plan. Fractional support stays with you to guide priorities, improve execution quality, and keep momentum consistent month to month.