Brand strategy, not brand theory
A fractional CMO for business owners —
and an outside eye for family offices.
Senior marketing leadership, a set number of days a week — for businesses that need a CMO without the full-time hire, and for family offices that want a sharper marketing read on the ventures they back.
What I do
Two ways to work together
Family offices & investors
An outside eye on the ventures you back
A sharper marketing read — before more capital goes in, and after.
- Venture viability — stress-testing whether a venture’s marketing actually holds up
- A CMO inside the portfolio company — on the full mandate, a set number of days a week
- Business-to-brand coding — positioning, systems and agency set-up
- Board reporting — on pre-agreed mandates and KPIs
Business owners
A CMO, without the full-time hire
For family businesses planning their next chapter, and growth-stage ventures without a CMO.
- Positioning — and the consumer research that backs it
- Your marketing team — trained and sharpened, or built from scratch
- Agencies — the right one hired, and managed day to day
- Systems and reporting — to the board, on agreed KPIs
The fractional CMO mandate
What I take on
01
Positioning
What the brand stands for, who it’s for, and why it wins.
02
Consumer research
Briefing and supervising research, so decisions rest on evidence, not instinct.
03
Marketing team
Training and sharpening the team you already have.
04
Agency selection
Hiring the right agency, or getting more from the one on board.
05
Agency management
Briefing, managing and holding agencies to account.
06
Marketing systems
The processes that let marketing actually run, week after week.
07
A full department
Setting up an entire marketing function where none exists.
08
Board reporting
Reporting to the board on pre-agreed mandates and KPIs.
The engagement
How it works
Days a week
Fractional, not occasional. We agree the days a week the mandate actually needs.
Six months minimum
Long enough to build, not just advise. Short-term engagements start at six months.
Accountable to the board
I report to the board on pre-agreed mandates and KPIs — so progress is measured, not assumed.
Who I work with
Family businesses, growth ventures and the family offices backing them
Family business planning its next chapter
Growth-stage venture without a CMO
Family office backing a portfolio company
Founder team navigating a transition
Brand Couch, since 2020
Recent mandates
Retail
Fabindia
A retail footprint and topline growth project, expanding the brand into newer markets.
Hospitality · 43 years, 3,000+ keys
Ahuja Residency
Brand strategy, digital transformation and PR strategy — driving greater visibility and lead generation.
Real estate
MNB Buildfab
Brand positioning, channel engagement that converted unattached partners, and geo-targeted campaigns that generated apartment bookings.
As consultant · major accounts
RK Swamy
Strategic direction for Just Dial (a 12% increase in direct searches), Magicbricks (AI integration and a 4% share gain) and Axis Bank Premier.
Before Brand Couch
Results from work I’ve led
~5%
Market-share gain for Dabur Hajmola, reversing a decline
~12%
Lift in sales and consideration for Havells fans
Double-digit
Growth for SpiceJet after a brand revamp
First time
Samsung outsold Nokia
EFFIE Awards for Maggi, McVitie’s and Havells.
Agency years
Brand experiences
Across JWT, Publicis, Cheil and Mullen Lintas — on brands including:
Founder, Brand Couch
Why Brand Couch
I’m Someshwar Mehra. After nearly two decades with global and Indian brands — Nestlé, Samsung, Havells, Dabur, SpiceJet, Pizza Hut and more — my own pivot came when I saw how many entrepreneur friends were building businesses without that kind of support.
Brand Couch is my answer to that. I step in as your CMO — a set number of days a week, answerable to your board on agreed KPIs — and bring the same thinking I used across those brands: competitive strategy, product and brand differentiation, defining brand DNA, product launches, consumer research and insights, and communication strategy.
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