EN DE IT
Reach out now
Fractional CMO & Marketing Leadership

15+ years building brands and growth systems

From agency creative for BMW, MINI and Mercedes-Benz to scaling growth at EasyPark, Voi, and Wholey – full-funnel senior marketing leadership without the full-time overhead.

Julian Pankratz – Fractional CMO

Skills & expertise

Brand & Creative

Brand strategy

Defined brand positioning, visual identity, and narratives for PARK NOW, Voi, Wholey, Guidable, and automotive brands at JvM. Brand is one of my core t-shaped strengths – I create brands from scratch (Deutsche Post Streetscooter, The Mirai fitness brand) and reimagine existing ones. Versed in brand architecture, brand equity measurement, and translating positioning into channel-ready messaging.

Messaging

Crafts messaging frameworks that connect product truth with audience motivation. Worked across B2C and B2B – from commuter-facing micromobility apps to enterprise parking contracts. Brings clarity to complex propositions and makes them land across copy, UX, and sales materials.

Campaign concepting

Conceived campaigns from initial brief to media-ready execution. At JvM: BMW VR campaigns, YouTube-first formats, smartwatch integrations, and the Facebook Canvas "BMW Visionary" (ADC Bronze). At Wholey: Helene Fischer national campaign concept and creative direction – 40% sales uplift, 63% purchase intent uplift. Created Deutsche Post Streetscooter brand campaign and The Mirai brand launch from zero.

Creative production

End-to-end creative management across film, digital, print, and OOH. At JvM: led creative teams for BMW, MINI, and Mercedes-Benz across multiple markets, including global brand content hub transformation. At KKLD: planned and executed location-based digital installations in France, Italy, and Austria (MINI Photobox), and Panasonic European launch campaign. Manages creative process from briefing through post-production.

Strategy & GTM

Marketing strategy

Designs full marketing strategies – channel mix, sequencing, positioning, resource allocation – grounded in commercial context. Built annual marketing plans at EasyPark, Voi, and Wholey. Translates investor-facing targets into operational marketing priorities. Experienced in OKR-driven strategy and monthly performance reporting.

Product marketing

Positions products and features for commercial impact. Managed the launch of EasyPark's 'Find & Park' feature, the Voi Vienna market entry, and multiple app version rollouts. Led smart.com overhaul at BBDO covering 50+ markets, including UX, content strategy, and a new car configurator. Brings product marketing discipline to messaging, onboarding flows, and cross-functional alignment.

Go-to-market

Designed and executed GTMs for new markets, new products, and brand repositions. Voi Vienna: 60,000 downloads and 35,000 customers in 6 months. PARK NOW: doubled customer base to 1M users in one year. Experienced across B2C, B2B, and B2G. Brings full-funnel GTM ownership from positioning through acquisition and activation.

Digital & Performance

Demand generation

Built and ran demand generation systems at EasyPark (133% new customer growth) and PARK NOW (1M customers in 12 months). Experience across paid search, app store optimisation, SEO-driven content, referral programmes, and signage – including a 500% improvement in point-of-sale signage effectiveness at EasyPark.

Performance marketing

Overseen performance channels across Google Ads, Meta, Apple Search Ads, UAC, and programmatic. At EasyPark: ROI-focused campaign management achieving 133% new customer growth and 127% transaction volume growth year-on-year. At Guidable: designed acquisition testing stack. At KKLD: developed programmatic displays and HTML5 web specials for MINI and Panasonic.

Lifecycle & CRM

Built CRM programmes from infrastructure through campaign execution. At Wholey: implemented new CRM system, drove 22% of D2C revenue via email – contributing to 43% MoM revenue growth. At EasyPark: managed the migration of 1M PARK NOW users to EasyPark with German in-app communications. At Voi: retention-focused CRM communications and churn-reduction initiatives.

Social media

Managed social strategy and content across platforms for Voi, Wholey, PARK NOW, and agency clients. At Wholey: organic social was central to the Helene Fischer campaign outperformance. At NeulandHerzer: led the 'Mercedes-Benz Reporter' platform, significantly increasing Mercedes-Benz's global Facebook following through documentary-style content across Europe. Understands organic social as both a brand and acquisition channel.

Web & app UX

Led BMW.com transformation into a globally awarded content platform at JvM (Webby Gold, ADC). Oversaw smart.com global redesign at BBDO across 50+ markets. Planned and executed location-based digital installations (MINI Photobox app in France, Italy, Austria). Led MINI Moments app UX and Bayer product website. Improved EasyPark app ratings from 4.1 to 4.5 (Android) and 4.8 (iOS).

PR & thought leadership

Generated €2.2M in earned media at PARK NOW (2021). Built B2G PR programme at EasyPark generating 100+ placements. Led thought leadership initiatives at Voi to support city tender motions. Spearheaded the Mercedes-Benz Reporter social documentary platform at NeulandHerzer. Experienced in executive positioning and media relations.

Leadership & Operations

Budget & P&L

Managed marketing budgets across all senior roles. At EasyPark and Voi: full budget ownership including channel allocation and reporting against commercial targets. At Wholey: P&L accountability with direct investor reporting. Experienced in investor-facing budget justification and quarterly review cycles.

OKR & KPI frameworks

Introduced OKR frameworks at Wholey, worked OKR-based at Voi and EasyPark. Builds KPI frameworks that connect marketing activity to commercial outcomes – LTV, CAC, MQL-to-SQL, retention. Presents metric-driven reporting to leadership and investors. Data-driven by default: at EasyPark, applied Looker, Metabase, and Adjust for continuous performance tracking.

Structure & processes

Restructured the 8-person Wholey marketing team across the full marketing mix. At Voi, chose, hired, and built a team of 5 high-calibre marketing managers across 5 markets. Set up cross-functional planning rhythms, campaign calendars, and ownership frameworks. Experienced in running distributed and hybrid teams.

Partnerships

Partnerships

Built strategic partnerships across B2G, brand, and distribution contexts. At Voi: city tender partnerships and policy alignment across DACH, Italy, and Spain. At EasyPark: B2G partnerships generating 100+ press placements. At PARK NOW: branded partnerships supporting brand recognition growth from 45% to 53% in Germany and Austria.

Certifications

AI Business Strategies & Applications

UC Berkeley Executive Education

Piloting AI

Marketing AI Institute

Product Marketing Certificate

Product Marketing Alliance

Reach out to find out more

Fractional marketing leadership, embedded in your team. Start with a no-commitment intro call.

Reach out now