The Fractional CMO Is Finally Having Its Moment in India — But We're Still Early

A few years back, I didn’t call myself a Fractional CMO.

Not because I wasn’t doing the work — but because the term simply didn’t land with Indian businesses. It wasn’t understood. And frankly, it rarely worked.

Unlike more developed markets, the preference here was to pay a higher salary for a full-time person rather than hire a strong part-time one.

The classic Indian mindset: ass-on-seat time versus actual value.

The understanding that a CMO’s job is insight, coordination, upskilling, and strategic value — not filling a seat — simply wasn’t there yet.

That’s why most established Fractional CMOs in India rarely worked with Indian businesses. They preferred international clients — or if it was Indian, it was predominantly project-based work.

The main reason?

Pay.

That seems to be changing.

In the last month or so, I’ve started seeing a meaningful shift. Conversations coming in from Indian businesses have a different quality to them.

There have been a few good articles on this too — including one from Shilpa — which signals the conversation is maturing.

Projects have been plenty in India, but small ticket sizes.

Now businesses are beginning to realize the ROI of bringing in someone part-time at an early stage to actually grow the business — versus just depending on ads.

It’s a shift in the right direction.

But it’s still very, very early days.

The needle will really move when high-growth startups and venture funds start bringing Fractional CMOs on board early — not as a stopgap, but as a strategic decision.

That’s when this market truly opens up.

My USP has been working with startups where I commit to tangible takeaways in 5 sessions or less — and a live Q&A format where I solve real business and marketing problems live.

👉 Startup consultations — tangible takeaways in 5 sessions or less (Completely Unedited testimonials above)

👉 Live Q&A — business and marketing problems, solved live

Hope to see this structure changing — and to be able to work long-term, move the needle, and build something meaningful with Indian businesses and brands.

— Saurabh Parmar, Fractional CMO linkedin.com/in/saurabhparmar