How marketing agency OtterHalf helps businesses find their whole narrative

“How They See It” is where we delve into the minds of those steering the ships of today’s most dynamic companies. In this instalment, we ask Cassandra Ong, co-founder and CEO of fractional marketing agency, OtterHalf, about how she sees the role of marketing in the present day. She shares about the present state of the workforce, how this encouraged her to launch her marketing agency, and about how she believes we can help to create a better world through helping companies with a positive impact grow. Click here for more interviews with business leaders.

In recent years, layoffs and restructuring have become common news. Companies across all industries, especially in tech, are taking significant steps to reduce overheads. One way is by cutting costs and streamlining operations. As the workforce of tomorrow is reconceptualised and people pay closer attention to roles, marketing, especially smart and strategic marketing, remains essential for companies that want growth.

What I do with my work is helps businesses through marketing challenges, without the cost of a full-time hire. Many startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need marketing expertise, but can’t justify the expense of building a full-time team. Simultaneously, the traditional agency model wasn’t flexible enough for their needs. In this conundrum, I saw a gap in the market and started my fractional marketing agency, Otterhalf.

Unique selling point

There’s a lot of potential in the fractional marketing model, but more awareness is needed. Businesses and job seekers alike need to better understand the flexibility and value this approach offers. If more people knew about it, I believe even more opportunities would open up for everyone. 

We’re always looking for experienced marketers who want flexibility, and the more people understand this model, the easier it will be to find the right talent and the right clients.

That means finding people who understand that strategy comes first for marketing. There’s a common assumption that marketing is wholly about running ads or creating social media content, but that’s only part of it. It’s also about understanding a company’s unique value, who they’re trying to reach, and what they want to achieve. Once we have that, we can suggest directions to meet their goals. 

Our successful projects aren’t measured by impressions or likes — it’s about the bottom-line impact. We help our clients achieve their business goals — whether that’s increasing revenue, improving customer retention, or expanding into new markets. Beyond that, our work is also about building relationships based on trust and collaboration. When a client comes back to us for future projects because we exceeded expectations, that’s when I know we’ve been successful.

The whole of OtterHalf

OtterHalf’s model helps businesses to access high-level marketing expertise without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire, offering them flexibility and cost-efficiency. We give businesses access to expert marketing support when and where they need it. Our approach allows them to scale their marketing efforts depending on their growth stage and current needs. For businesses, it’s about getting exactly what they need, when they need it.

One of my proudest achievements is the work we did with REFASH, a fashion re-commerce platform. They came to us without a dedicated team for strategic partnerships, and over three months, we exceeded expectations. We secured three key partnerships and delivered a return on investment (ROI) over three times what they’d hoped for. 

On top of that, we generated over $37,000 in savings and secured valuable market exposure through their partners. Seeing that direct impact, especially early on in OtterHalf’s journey, gave me the confidence that we were truly adding value to businesses.

Beyond the financial aspect, many of the businesses we work with share our belief that business can be a force for good. We’ve had the privilege of working with companies like the aforementioned REFASH, but also organisations like Sustenir, Singapore’s pioneer in superfoods, and CapitaLand's Flavours of Tomorrow Festival, the country’s first alternative food festival promoting sustainable eating. 

By helping these companies grow, we’re not just supporting their business — we’re contributing to creating a better tomorrow for everyone.

A better tomorrow

When I think about the future ahead for OtterHalf, it’s about growing our client base without compromising the quality of our work. I don’t envision OtterHalf becoming a massive agency. A team of 15-20 would be the ideal size, allowing us to continue delivering tailored, high-quality work. 

In the long term, I also want to address some of the common pain points founders and marketers face by creating a product to solve these issues, though I’m still exploring what that could look like. 

As we scale, I believe AI will continue to evolve and take over certain creative tasks, which will allow us to focus more on high-level strategy and client relationships. AI won’t replace people, but it will redefine how we work. We’ve already started using tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney to enhance our workflows, and I see even more potential for AI to transform how we operate. 

The key is to stay ahead of the curve and find ways to integrate these tools into our processes while still maintaining the human touch that clients value.

More so than advances in technology, one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is sales. Before starting OtterHalf, I had never done a single sale in my life. Even now, 1.5 years in, I’m still navigating this steep learning curve. Then there’s people management — another critical aspect as the team grows. Running a service-based business means building a team that works seamlessly together. While these challenges are new for me, they are essential stepping stones in running a business.

Despite the challenges of running a business, it’s the small, everyday acts of kindness I’ve experienced that encourage me to keep going. When I launched OtterHalf, I was overwhelmed by the support from strangers — people referred businesses to us, dropped me notes of encouragement after hearing me on the radio, or reading about my story. 

These small gestures reminded me that even in a competitive world, there’s still kindness out there. It motivates me to pay it forward and continue building a company that can make a positive impact on the world.