Marketing Org. Build
Organizational design for efficient market entry and growth
The challenge
When a PE firm spun off a tech-enabled services firm, it had to do so without the marketing infrastructure needed to support aggressive sales and profitably targets and an impending rebrand. Facing this organizational vacuum, leadership needed resources to develop the new brand and build the infrastructure to develop consistent messaging and effective go-to-market activities. The absence of clear positioning and an organized commercial engine hindered their ability to achieve a successful market entry and scale efficiently.
Our approach
Playing the role of fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Acelyst oversaw the near-term marketing efforts (including branding) and partnered with the executive and human resources teams to design and build a longer term robust marketing organization. The business had one exceptionally strong marketer, so together our process included
Strategic Foundation and Brand Refresh: We synthesized core business objectives and customer insights to develop a clear, differentiated strategic foundation and brand. This included leading customer research, managing a branding agency, and bringing in a creative agency to efficiently translate strategy into effective messaging, visual identity, and other key assets.
Organizational Design and RACI Framework: We worked with Finance and Commercial leadership to define the optimal team structure, key roles, and budget implications. We then created a detailed RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) model to ensure clarity of ownership and seamless collaboration across marketing, sales, and product teams.
Hiring Roadmap and Job Descriptions: We translated the organizational design into a practical talent acquisition strategy. This included crafting detailed job descriptions for key roles and building a hiring roadmap to attract and secure top-tier talent.
Interim Operational Execution: We provided marketing leadership for day-to-day decision making and team leadership. We also provided marketing input for cross-functional meetings and committees to ensure that the voice of marketing and the customer would be reflected in commercial decisions. We reported to Commercial Leadership to ensure that input aligned with overall commercial strategy.
The outcome
This approach enabled us to meet the immediate needs of a seamless market launch while setting up a long-term marketing organization – “building the plane while flying it.” While the new brand empowered the business to immediately differentiate itself in a crowded market, the organizational efforts created the clarity and accountability required to quickly build a high-performing team. This structure not only streamlined operations but also ensured that the marketing function was a strategic partner, deeply integrated with the commercial and financial goals of the business. The result was an accelerated go-to-market timeline and a powerful commercial engine that enabled the company to achieve its ambitious growth and profitability targets, directly contributing to the PE firm's investment thesis and validating the spin-off’s potential from day one.