Launch Announcement: Capstone Integrations is here

I’m going to be more direct than usual, and if you know me, you know that means I’m about to drop some serious shit.

Most Chief Marketing Officers have never integrated an acquisition.

I don’t mean “few.” I don’t mean “some have, some haven’t.” I mean the overwhelming majority of people calling themselves a “fractional CMO” have never sat in the room when two marketing functions have to become one. They’ve never had to consolidate four websites into one. They’ve never had to fire a vendor mid-contract because the acquired company was paying them double. They’ve never had to look a panicked marketing coordinator in the eye and say “your job is safe, here’s the new plan, here’s what we’re cutting, here’s what we’re keeping.”

That type of integration work is the messiest, ugliest, least-fun part of marketing leadership. And it’s the thing PE-backed operators and multi-location founders need the most.

Right at the moment companies need a senior marketing leader who knows how to handle the chaos, fractionals go silent.

The calls that built this firm

For the last year and change, I’ve been getting the same phone call.

It usually starts with: “We just closed an acquisition.”

And then comes the list. Now marketing systems don’t talk to each other. Multiple sites both calling themselves the “main” website. Two CRMs the teams have been duct-taping together with manual exports. A consultant from the previous deal who’s still on the email list and nobody knows why. Two vendors doing the same work (and invoicing for it twice??). A marketing coordinator who quit two weeks ago and took the password file with her. The CMO has never done this before, and there’s a board meeting this month where someone has to stand up and explain why the marketing numbers predicted revenue but are flat.

Different company. Different industry. Different deal size. Same conversation.

The companies on the other end of these calls aren’t doing anything wrong. They hired a fractional CMO (probably a damn good one too!) They got a strategic plan, a leader who can execute campaigns fast and lead a strong team.

But what they didn’t get was a marketing leader who actually knows how to integrate businesses together.

Why this gap exists

Fractional CMO work has exploded over the last five years, and with it, job title inflation. Most of the good CMOs are smart, they’re good at building marketing strategy and they know how to lead a team. They’ve grown brands, they’ve created GTM strategies and scalable initiatives. They’ve probably hired, fired, and rebuilt teams more than the average CEO.

What they haven’t done (because most CMOs don’t get a chance to do it in their whole career) is integrate multiple marketing functions after an acquisition closes. That’s a specific operational discipline that lives at the intersection of M&A diligence, change management, vendor consolidation, and marketing strategy. It’s a different muscle than “build a marketing team from scratch.”

So most fractionals do exactly what any rational CMO would do. They hand off the integration work to an agency, charge for the strategy, and check out when the operational work begins. But the agency wants to run campaigns, not change management. Next thing you know, the campaigns are running across locations but they all run on a different system, the KPIs aren’t level, and the board is still asking questions. Worse still — business owners have to find another CMO to handle clean up.

I watched this happen to enough good businesses, now it’s time to do something about it.

What is Capstone Integrations

Capstone Integrations is the fractional firm built for the teams doing what they’re built for: multi-location operators, PE-backed portfolios, and companies growing through M&A.

We run the entire marketing function including strategy, team, vendors, budget, and performance. And we own the integration work when the next deal closes. We’re one firm with one playbook, and the same person is gonna be there when shit hits the fan.

When it does, we’re ready with two easy-to-understand engagement models so you don’t have to guess which plan will give you the best coverage.

Engaged CMO

Embedded marketing leadership across strategy, planning, team, vendors, budget, and performance. Perfect for big organizations that need a senior marketing executive driving the function, not a consultant making recommendations from the outside. 6-month commitment with a 90-day test run starting at $7,000/mo

Marketing Advisor

Senior marketing leadership without a full engagement. Just right for organizations where execution capacity exists, but don’t have strategic oversight or anyone looking at the full picture across every brand. Also great for organizations managing multiple brands with their own internal teams.

3-month commitment starting at $3,000/mo

What this means for Desens Digital clients

Capstone is a different firm with a different focus.

But Desens Digital doesn’t change. We’re still the same marketing and web sidekick for business owners who didn’t sign up to be marketers.