Strategy From the Platform Side. Execution Accountability From Your Side.
Why Growth Marketing Advisory Exists
Most brands spend money on marketing without a clear system for knowing what's working. Agencies sell execution. Platforms sell inventory. Neither has a structural incentive to tell you the truth about your spend. Growth marketing advisory fills that gap: an experienced marketing executive who sits on your side of the table, audits your current efforts, builds measurement infrastructure that actually works, and holds your vendors accountable to outcomes — not activity.
This isn't consulting in the traditional sense. There are no 80-page slide decks or abstract strategy documents. Advisory means working directly with founders, marketing leads, and operators on the specific decisions that move revenue: which channels to invest in, which vendors to keep or cut, how to structure attribution, and where the next dollar of growth actually comes from.
Your Advisor: Cormac Jonas
Cormac Jonas has spent 15+ years at the intersection of platforms, partnerships, and performance marketing — including four years at TikTok building the systems that brands use to scale. That platform-side perspective is rare in advisory: most consultants come from the agency side, where they've sold services. Cormac comes from the platform side, where he's seen exactly how the most effective brands measure, optimize, and grow.
The Jonas Agency
Growth marketing advisory and fractional CMO services for D2C, sport, and lifestyle brands. Advisory-only model with no execution conflicts. Clients include B2B SaaS, e-commerce fashion, restaurant franchises, and sport properties.
Men in Blazers
Led growth marketing for the media brand, applying performance marketing and audience development strategies to scale the digital footprint of one of the most recognized voices in U.S. soccer media.
TikTok
Led full-funnel strategy and attribution for major brands in the sports, entertainment, and media vertical. Worked with brands and agencies worldwide on performance and growth marketing at platform scale. Spent four years building the business platform that serves millions of brands and agencies globally.
Partnerize
Built the Partnerize partner ecosystem across agencies, publishers, affiliates, influencers, and technology companies throughout the Americas. Focused on driving business growth through strategic partner development.
Global Savings Group (GSG)
Grew media alliances, revenue, and team across the U.S. market for one of Europe's largest commerce content and savings platforms.
RetailMeNot
Four-year tenure progressing from retail and brand solutions through senior account leadership to running the Travel vertical as General Manager. Built and scaled the company's presence in Travel and CPG.
Results From Advisory Engagements
Every engagement starts with an audit and a clear measurement baseline. These are outcomes from real advisory and strategy work — not hypotheticals.
B2B SaaS company reduced customer acquisition cost by 67% and generated 10,000 SQLs through rapid testing protocols and channel reallocation based on advisory audit findings.
E-commerce fashion brand achieved 312% return on ad spend with $1.3M in attributed revenue through full-funnel paid social strategy and creative testing framework.
D2C apparel brand drove 40% year-over-year sales growth with 23% ROAS improvement through development of full-catalog product campaigns for video and influencer channels.
Major athletic brand increased channel investments by 19% with a 25% increase in ROAS by refocusing strategy through NIL influencer partnerships and performance creative.
The measurement problem: During his time at TikTok, Cormac saw firsthand that the brands spending the most weren't always the brands growing the fastest. The difference was almost always measurement infrastructure — the top performers knew exactly which dollar was driving which outcome. Advisory exists to give every brand that same clarity.
How Growth Marketing Advisory Works
1. Audit & Baseline
We start with a comprehensive audit of your current marketing: ad accounts, attribution setup, vendor performance, organic presence, and conversion infrastructure. The output is a clear baseline — what you're spending, what's working, what's wasted, and where the highest-leverage opportunities are. This audit alone typically identifies 30–40% in misallocated or wasted spend.
2. Strategy & Roadmap
Based on the audit, we build a prioritized 90-day growth roadmap with specific channel recommendations, budget allocation targets, measurement infrastructure requirements, and KPI benchmarks. This plan is designed to be executed by your existing team and vendors — with our oversight ensuring accountability.
3. Ongoing Advisory & Optimization
On retainer engagements, you get regular strategy calls, vendor oversight, KPI tracking, and quarterly re-audits. We review your vendors' reports, sit in on agency calls when needed, and ensure every dollar of marketing spend is justified by measurable performance. You get Slack access for real-time questions between scheduled calls.
What We Advise On
Paid Social Strategy
Full-funnel paid social across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Creative testing frameworks, audience architecture, and attribution modeling — informed by platform-side experience at TikTok.
Meta · TikTok · YouTube · LinkedInMeasurement & Attribution
Most brands are flying blind on attribution. We audit your measurement stack, fix broken tracking, and build dashboards that show real revenue contribution by channel — not last-click vanity metrics.
GA4 · MMM · IncrementalityVendor & Agency Oversight
We review your agencies' work, sit in on their calls, evaluate their reporting, and tell you whether they're earning their retainer. No conflicts — we don't sell execution services.
Accountability · ROI ReviewContent & GEO Strategy
Content strategy optimized for traditional search (SEO), featured snippets (AEO), and AI engine citations (GEO). Building the content architecture that makes your brand discoverable everywhere people search in 2026.
SEO · AEO · GEOInfluencer & Creator Strategy
Identification, vetting, and performance framework for influencer and creator partnerships. From NIL athletes to niche creators — built on the same approach used at TikTok with major entertainment and sport brands.
UGC · NIL · Spark AdsFractional CMO
For brands that need senior marketing leadership but aren't ready for a six-figure hire. Weekly strategy, implementation oversight, team training, and corporate liaison — embedded in your business.
Leadership · $6,500/moAdvisory vs. Agency: What's the Difference?
| Factor | Marketing Agency | Growth Marketing Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue model | Profits when you spend more | Profits when you get clarity |
| Primary output | Execution (ads, content, SEO) | Strategy, measurement, oversight |
| Vendor relationship | Is the vendor | Oversees and evaluates vendors |
| Incentive alignment | Upsell more services | Build systems that reduce dependency |
| Typical monthly cost | $5,000–$15,000+ | $3,500–$6,500 |
| Conflict of interest | Inherent — they sell execution | None — advisory only |
| Measurement focus | Reports on their own work | Evaluates all channels independently |
Who This Is Built For
Growth marketing advisory works best for brands that are spending money on marketing and need an experienced operator to tell them what's working. Specifically, this serves D2C and e-commerce brands spending $10,000+ per month on paid media who want better ROAS and clearer attribution, sport and entertainment properties looking to monetize digital audiences through performance channels, lifestyle and consumer brands transitioning from founder-led marketing to a structured growth system, franchise owners and multi-location operators who need strategic marketing oversight without the overhead of a full-time hire, and any brand stuck in the cycle of switching agencies every 12–18 months without measurable improvement.
If you can't clearly articulate your customer acquisition cost, your blended ROAS, and which channel is driving your most profitable customers — this advisory was built for exactly that problem.
Featured & Cited
Cormac has shared growth marketing insights across industry podcasts and platforms, including the "Always Be Testing" podcast (Episode #42: "Unlocking TikTok for Growth") and "The Measurement Mistakes Costing Brands Millions" (Episode #115). He regularly publishes analysis on affiliate marketing compliance, retail media attribution, and paid social strategy on LinkedIn.
From a client recommendation: "His solution-based approach and dedication to acquiring in-market knowledge sets him apart." — via LinkedIn
Frequently Asked Questions
What is growth marketing advisory?
Growth marketing advisory is a strategic engagement where an experienced marketing executive works alongside your team to optimize customer acquisition, improve measurement infrastructure, and build scalable growth systems — without the conflicts of interest that come with agency execution. The advisor sits on your side of the table, auditing spend, evaluating vendors, and building strategy based on what actually drives revenue.
How is this different from hiring a marketing agency?
An agency profits from managing your budget and selling execution services — their incentive is for you to spend more. A growth marketing advisor profits from giving you clarity and building systems that work, even if that means recommending you spend less, change channels, or replace your current agency. Advisory is strategy-first with vendor oversight and accountability built in.
What does Cormac Jonas's background bring to advisory?
Cormac served as Head of Industry for Sports, Entertainment and Media at TikTok, where he led full-funnel strategy and attribution for major brands. Prior to TikTok, he held leadership roles at Partnerize (Head of Partnerships, Americas), Global Savings Group (VP), RetailMeNot (GM of Travel), and Within. This cross-platform experience spanning paid social, affiliate, partnerships, and performance marketing gives advisory clients access to enterprise-grade strategy applied to growth-stage execution.
What types of brands benefit most from this?
Growth marketing advisory delivers the strongest results for D2C brands spending $10,000+ per month on marketing who need better measurement and channel optimization, sport and entertainment properties monetizing audiences digitally, lifestyle brands scaling from founder-led marketing, and franchise owners who need strategic oversight without a full-time marketing hire.
What results can I expect?
Advisory clients typically see 30–40% reduction in wasted ad spend within the first audit, measurable improvements in ROAS and cost-per-acquisition within 90 days, and clearer attribution infrastructure that compounds over time. Past engagements have produced 67% CAC reductions, 40% YoY sales growth, 312% ROAS on e-commerce campaigns, and 19% conversion increases through influencer strategy reallocation.
Find Out Where Your Marketing Dollar Actually Goes
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. We'll review your current spend and measurement setup — no pitch, no obligation.
Book a Free Strategy Call