FRACTIONAL CMO
FOR THE SPORTS INDUSTRY
Michael Porter. First marketing hire at Formula E, SailGP, T100, E1 Series and RunGP.
Why sports brands struggle with marketing leadership
You've built an incredible property, but the marketing isn't delivering commercial results.
Sound familiar?
The challenges you're facing:
Struggling to scale revenue streams? Your team is executing. Campaigns are running. But ticket sales plateau, sponsorship pipelines stall and nobody in the room has the seniority to diagnose why. That is a leadership gap, not an execution problem.
Can't justify £140k+ for a full time CMO? A permanent CMO at £140,000 plus benefits is a fixed cost you cannot afford to carry. A fractional engagement gives you the same seniority, the same accountability and none of the overhead.
Tired of agencies that don't get sports? Agencies advise from the outside. They learn your industry on your budget. Porter Wills has spent 15 years building the properties they use as case studies.
These symptoms are not execution issues.
Your brand needs marketing leadership that understands sport and can embed with your team to drive results from day one.
This is not a fit if you’re looking for execution support without leadership accountability.
Embedded marketing leadership for sport
Porter Wills provides fractional CMO services built for the sports industry. We embed a senior marketing leader inside your organisation to close the gap between activity and revenue.
We don't advise from the outside. We become part of your team, accountable for results. Five properties built from the inside. Formula E. SailGP. T100. E1 Series. RunGP.
Engagements are flexible. Day rates, week sprints or ongoing retainer partnerships. Every model focused on the same outcome: tickets sold, sponsors signed, revenue moving.
How we work with sports brands
Three engagement models. Choose the level of marketing leadership your brand needs right now.
1. Fractional CMO
Ongoing strategic marketing leadership to guide your team and drive performance. We embed with your organisation for one to two days per week, providing clear direction, team leadership and full accountability for marketing results.
£3,500/month (1 day/week, 3 month minimum)
Best for: Brands with marketing teams needing strategic direction
2. Week Sprints
Rapid diagnostic and prioritised action plan delivered in five days. Our week long sprints are designed for urgent new launches, rebrands or market entry campaigns where speed and precision are essential to success.
£4,500 per week (5-day intensive)
Best for: New property launches, rebrands and market entry
3. Project Work
Focused project work for specific outcomes over four to eight weeks. We develop launch strategies, repositioning plans or marketing transformation programmes that deliver measurable commercial impact for your brand.
£12,000 - £18,000 (4-8 weeks)
Best for: Property launches, brand repositions and marketing transformation
If you want to understand how we operate before choosing an engagement model see how we work.
LOOKING FOR THE COMPLETE UK GUIDE?
If you need a full breakdown of how fractional CMOs work in the UK, including responsibilities, pricing, engagement models and when to hire one, read our master resource:
Real outcomes from real engagements. While respecting client confidentiality, the results below show what embedded marketing leadership delivers across global sports properties.
What sports marketing leadership delivers
Why sports brands choose fractional CMO leadership
A fractional CMO gives growth stage sports brands senior marketing leadership without the cost of a permanent hire.
The right expertise, applied at the right intensity, for as long as you need it.
Our engagements are built for the pace and demands of the sports industry.
No long onboarding. No learning curve. We've seen your problems before.
How we start working together
From first conversation to embedded execution in three weeks.
Week 1: Discovery
A free 30 minute strategy call to understand your challenge, commercial goals and timeline.
The outcome:
A clear recommendation on the best engagement model for your specific situation and whether we're the right fit.
Week 2: Diagnostic
A thorough review of your current marketing activity, team structure and commercial performance.
The outcome:
A prioritised diagnosis of what's working, what's broken and where your biggest revenue opportunities lie, with an actionable 90 day roadmap.
Week 3: Execution
We embed with your team as your fractional CMO, leading strategy and guiding execution.
The outcome:
Immediate momentum on your roadmap with clear accountability, strategic direction and measurable progress from day one.
Built for the sports industry
A generic fractional CMO serving D2C ecommerce or B2B SaaS cannot deliver the same value as a dedicated sports specialist. Our entire career has been building sports properties. We understand your challenges instinctively.
We bring specialist knowledge of:
Sports commercial models: Sponsorship, ticketing and media rights as one connected revenue system, not three separate workstreams.
Rights holder negotiations: Fifteen years working with governing bodies, federations and rights owners across five continents.
Ticketing and registration conversion: Built and optimised sales funnels for global events. 250,000 tickets sold across properties.
Sponsorship activation: Proposals that close. Programmes that retain. Commercial narratives built on data, not slides.
Sports tech and platform positioning: Helped SaaS and event tech companies translate strong products into commercial traction.
Global market entry: Launched and scaled properties across the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America.
This is what 15 years inside the sports industry looks like.
FAQs
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es. We have launched properties from zero including team championships and touring series. If you have proof of concept and need marketing leadership to scale, we know the path.
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Clearer positioning, a stronger commercial narrative and measurable progress on your biggest revenue constraint. That usually means ticket sales, sponsorship pipeline or both.
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Good. We lead them, not replace them. Most sports brands have capable people who need senior direction and clear priorities. That is exactly what this engagement provides.
Ready to scale your sports property?
If your property is at an inflection point, this is the conversation that changes the trajectory. Thirty minutes. No pitch. A straight diagnosis of where the gap is and whether Porter Wills is the right fit to close it.
Pricing Reminder: Week sprints £4,500 (5-day intensive) | Monthly retainers from £3,500 (1 day/week)