
Private Equity Marketing Due Diligence: Insights to Protect and Unlock Portfolio Value
In private equity, marketing is one of the least interrogated levers in due diligence — yet it can make or break value creation. We embed a senior, Chartered Fractional CMO into your investment process to deliver pre- and post-deal marketing clarity, leadership, and oversight — ensuring no commercial stone is left unturned

The PE Investor’s Blind Spot
Even the most sophisticated private-equity deal teams can miss marketing risks hiding in plain sight:
- Overstated growth forecasts built on untested brand or demand assumptions
- Fragmented sales and marketing strategies causing 10–20% revenue leakage
- CMOs hired on the wrong brief — burning months of runway and budget
- Agency overspend with no link to measurable ROI
- Marketing teams lacking the capability to execute at the next growth stage

The Risk of Overlooking Marketing in Due Diligence
When marketing isn’t stress-tested alongside financial and operational diligence, deal value is exposed — the consequences are measurable:
❌ Overvaluation at entry, eroding returns at exit
❌ Missed traction milestones and board-level friction
❌ Misallocation of capital to the wrong channels or headcount
❌ Extended holding periods as turnaround plans drag
Every quarter without clarity compounds operational risk and limits value creation.

Investor-Grade Marketing Intelligence & Leadership
We operate as an extension of your investment team, delivering actionable insight at deal stage and strategic oversight post-close.
Expertise we bring:
✅ Marketing Capability Assessment – Capability, leadership, and structural readiness.
✅ Go-to-Market and Brand Validation – Positioning, demand engines, and market traction.
✅ Capability and Leadership Review – Gaps, succession, and recruitment priorities.
✅ Post-Deal Growth Planning – Exit-aligned strategies and prioritised investment.

Who Leads the Marketing Due Diligence?
All engagements are led by experienced Fractional CMOs who are experienced in turnarounds, scale-ups, and M&A contexts, as well as being commercially fluent in investor priorities, from CAC to exit multiples
We match the Fractional CMO to your sector, deal complexity, and growth objectives. Our Fractional CMOs:
- Chartered & Proven – Led by Chartered Marketers, not junior consultants
- Investor-Aware – We speak ROI, CAC, runway, and exit multiples fluently
- Structured & Strategic – A proven, repeatable process (SOSTAC® certified)
- Embedded Model – We don’t just audit — we align, embed, and lead
- Value-Creation Focused – Every recommendation is tied to EBITDA impact
Our Simple Engagement Process
Strategic leadership. Streamlined onboarding process. Immediate value.
Pricing & Engagement Models
We offer flexible models depending on the depth and duration of support required.
Important notes:
Scope Confirmation: Final scope is agreed following a discovery call to ensure objectives and deliverables are clearly defined.
Fixed Scope: A clear Statement of Work is confirmed before any engagement begins, giving you certainty on cost and outcomes.

Common Use Cases
Our investor clients typically engage us to:
- Conduct pre-deal marketing due diligence ahead of acquisition
- Align GTM strategy post-buyout
- Coach internal CMOs to meet investor expectations
- Audit portfolios to prioritise marketing investment
- Recover underperforming portfolio assets
- Prepare brand and marketing strategy for exit
Related Services
Alongside our marketing intelligence support, we offer targeted services — from advisory and mentoring to fully embedded Fractional CMO leadership — providing focused interventions that build capability, insight, and investor confidence.
Marketing Advisory
You’re making a high-stakes decision and need independent, senior-level input right now.
Market Analysis
You’re entering a new market or need clear insight on customers, competitors, and trends.
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The Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Fractional CMO
We've published The Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Fractional CMO giving investors everything you need to know about finding, integrating, and succeeding with a Fractional CMO in your portfolio company.
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Stress-Test Your Marketing Assumptions
Not ready to book a private briefing? You can still see how your portfolio company or next deal measures up against investor-grade marketing benchmarks.
Take our Portfolio Company Marketing Due Diligence Survey — it’s free, confidential, and takes just 5 minutes.
- Uncover hidden risks before they erode returns
- See how your GTM, brand, leadership, and demand engines stack up
- Get instant results with clear next steps
- Get a complimentary meeting with our experts to discuss the findings
No commitment. No sales pitch. Just clear, investor-focused insight you can act on immediately.
FAQ’s
We assess marketing leadership based on their strategic alignment, commercial fluency, team-building ability, and readiness to deliver at the next level of scale. This includes reviewing decision frameworks, communication style, and stakeholder influence.
All engagements are managed under a strict mutual confidentiality agreement. Our Fractional CMOs operate as part of your extended team — sharing insights through investor-grade reporting and providing transparent alignment at every step.
We evaluate marketing using our proprietary six dimension ‘BANKSE’ framework and other strategic models. We focus on team capability, channel performance, brand clarity, tech infrastructure, and strategic alignment. We benchmark these areas against best practices and investor expectations.
Absolutely. Our post-deal support includes deep-dive audits, strategic reset workshops, and interim Fractional CMO leadership to realign the business. We’re often brought in after traction stalls or when internal capabilities don’t meet investor expectations.
A marketing audit is typically inward-facing and operational — focused on performance improvement. Marketing due diligence is outward-facing and strategic — designed to inform investment decisions, de-risk assumptions, and guide post-deal priorities.
Most due diligence reviews are completed in 2–4 weeks, depending on scope and access to business information. Full spectrum audits can take 6-8 weeks. We offer fast-turnaround audits for single-focus reviews and more comprehensive engagements for full-spectrum assessments or pre-exit preparation.
Marketing at its core is about the market opportunity. It underpins growth forecasts, customer acquisition, and brand equity — yet it's rarely stress-tested pre-deal. Marketing due diligence helps validate GTM assumptions, uncover hidden risks, and identify whether the team, brand, and spend are truly fit for scale.
Ready to de-risk your next deal? Book a confidential briefing to discuss your portfolio priorities.
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