Ep. 45 | Agency Vs. In-House: Why Strategy Needs A Fractional CMO

Fractional CMOs, “random acts of marketing,” and embedded agency teams. This episode of The Juice Consumer Direct Podcast breaks down how Avalaunch Media and Amplēo help small and scaling companies replace guesswork with real marketing strategy. Core themes include fractional CMO leadership, agency vs in-house marketing, and building an “everything agency” that actually drives revenue.Hosts Carson Poppenger and Jacob Thorpe sit down with Andrew Melchior, Co-Founder & COO at Avalaunch Media, to talk through two decades of building brands, being early on infographics and SEO, working with major names, and why so many $10M–$700M companies get stuck in “random acts of marketing.” The conversation shows how fractional CMOs provide strategic leadership, while embedded teams execute across SEO, paid media, branding, and content.They also unpack Avalaunch Media’s evolution into a full-service “everything agency” and how the Amplēo acquisition created a broader fractional executive stack—combining fractional CMO, CFO, controller, HR, and tax services so growth companies can scale without hiring a full in-house department. Along the way, the hosts share how their own organization shifted from working old data to winning live leads in seconds and now into AI-driven tools for consumer-direct sales.About Andrew Melchior (Guest)Andrew Melchior is the Co-Founder & COO of Avalaunch Media, a full-service digital marketing agency that has helped thousands of B2B, B2C, and DTC brands grow through SEO, paid media, content, and creative campaigns for more than 17 years. He now helps lead Avalaunch’s fractional CMO practice within Amplēo, delivering embedded marketing leadership and execution for small and scaling companies across the U.S.👉 Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmelchiorIf marketing feels like a collection of one-off tactics instead of a clear plan, this episode is for you. Like, subscribe, and drop a comment with the biggest gap in the current marketing setup: strategy, execution, or leadership?