Bridging Roles: The Impact of Fractional CMOs and Interim CCOs
Where Brand Narrative and Marketing Execution Converge
Traditionally, the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) operate in parallel lanes. The CCO or head of Corporate Communications focuses on reputation, narrative, and influence. The CMO or Marketing SVP focus on demand generation, customer acquisition, and revenue. They might meet at the intersection of brand, but their objectives and their measures of success are generally different.
Today, those parallel lanes are beginning to converge.
Reputation and growth are inseparable. The same story that drives trust with investors, employees, and media also shapes customer perception and conversion. CEOs have become brand platforms in their own right. Social algorithms increasingly favor authenticity over polish. Every piece of communication shapes how customers and stakeholders experience the brand.
Marketing leaders are feeling the pressure more than ever. Gartner’s 2025 Leadership Vision for CMOs notes that CMOs are being pushed to bridge strategy and execution, while The CMO Survey (Deloitte, Duke University, AMA) finds marketing’s influence and accountability expanding year over year.*
Together, those shifts make an argument for bringing communications and marketing closer in practice — two disciplines solving the same growth problem from different angles.
The Evolving CMO/CCO Profile
Today’s most effective communications and marketing leaders are strategic storytellers who connect brand purpose to business performance. They understand that reputation is a growth driver — and that storytelling, data, and customer insight must live in the same conversation.
Whether carrying a title of Chief Marketing Officer or Communications SVP, today’s leaders move fluidly between audiences: employees, customers, analysts, media, and investors. They align narrative with metrics, purpose with pipeline, and vision with execution.
In my own work, I’ve seen this convergence firsthand. I came up through the communications side — shaping narrative, positioning leaders, and managing reputation through change — but over time, those same skills became inseparable from marketing. Product storytelling, content strategy, and demand generation all depend on a clear through-line of purpose and trust.
As more companies explore flexible leadership models, this hybrid approach often starts with a fractional or interim role.
What Is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer is a senior marketing leader who guides strategy, brand, and demand on a part-time or interim contractual basis. A fractional CMO often helps companies in growth or transition stages, aligning marketing execution with broader business goals.
From Message Clarity to Lead Generation
As companies mature, especially in sectors like AI, fintech, and enterprise technology, the ability to articulate why we exist and why it matters becomes as critical as how the funnel performs. When done well, that narrative clarity doesn’t just build trust — it accelerates growth. Communications leaders are naturally into marketing leadership roles. They’ve long been responsible for message clarity, executive visibility, and narrative cohesion — clearly the same foundation marketing depends on.
The smartest organizations are designing for collaboration between communications and marketing.They understand that the brand story and the business strategy are intertwined — and they’re appointing leaders who can bridge both.
How that looks depends on company size and stage. Early and mid-stage companies often combine the functions under one executive — sometimes through an interim or fractional leader — to create alignment and momentum. Larger, more mature organizations may separate the roles, ensuring each has the focus and resources needed to scale.
Either way, the goal is the same: connect purpose, reputation, and growth into one clear voice.
Lorraine Hamby serves as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer and interim Chief Communications Officer, guiding technology companies through growth and transformation.
