Justin Kraft · Marketing Leader & Fractional CMO
Marketing leadership for companies ready for their next stage
I help founders and leadership teams clarify their positioning, set marketing priorities, and turn strategy into a plan their team can execute. My background in PR adds a perspective on how companies earn credibility and communicate with the people they need to reach.
Where I can help
Marketing works better when someone owns the decisions. I work with leadership teams on the choices that shape the plan, and I use B2B demand generation and consumer launch experience to inform them.
Marketing direction
Go-to-market choices, acquisition and lifecycle priorities, and where the budget should go first.
Positioning and growth
A clear account of who the company serves and why it wins, so growth bets fit the business.
Teams and accountability
Alignment across marketing, sales, product and finance, with clear owners for the work and how it will be reviewed.
Selected work
View portfolioFounder
Cast Influence
Co-founding and leading a marketing and PR company since 2017, bringing together strategy, creative work and communications for growing brands.
- Company building with co-founder Leah Taylor
- Service development across strategy, creative and PR
- Team leadership and sustained client work
Co-founder & CEO
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2017 – present
Cast Influence
Marketing leadership
Arcade1Up
Embedded brand leadership for a new connected game table, covering positioning, launch coordination, retail and DTC marketing, and community.
- Positioning and launch coordination
- Retail and DTC / ecommerce marketing
- Community and cross-functional execution
Head of Brand, Infinity Game Table
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Mar 2022 – Nov 2024
Arcade1Up / Infinity Game Table
Marketing leadership
Ajubeo
B2B full-funnel marketing leadership: partner programs, content and pipeline, aligned with the sales team.
- Full-funnel B2B strategy
- Partner programs and content
- Pipeline built with sales
VP Marketing
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Feb 2016 – Apr 2017
Ajubeo
Daily fantasy sports
PrizePicks
State-by-state market-entry communications for a daily fantasy sports operator, built on one repeatable playbook.
- Market-entry narrative applied state by state
- Sports, business and local media programs
- Executive visibility and issues preparation
Cast Influence engagement
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Rolling market-entry program
PrizePicks
Productivity software
Todoist
Creator and PR campaign for the January 2026 launch of Todoist Ramble, an AI voice-to-task feature.
- 45 earned placements for the launch announcement
- 168K+ views across 21 creator posts
- Creator, employee-advocacy and media coordination
Cast Influence engagement
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Jan 2026 launch
Todoist / Ramble launch
Video and network monitoring
Cheetah
Brand activation and strategic initiatives for a video and network monitoring technology company.
- Brand activation and strategic initiatives
- Led through Cast Influence
Brand activation and strategic initiatives
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Cast Influence client
Cheetah
See the full portfolio
These are a few of the projects. The full portfolio adds the rest of the founder, marketing leadership and client work, including OnDeck, Mural, The Last Gameboard and MHO Networks.
PR expertise that supports the marketing plan
Good PR starts from the same positioning as the rest of the marketing. I help decide which part of a company’s story is relevant to media, which executives should be visible, and what evidence supports each claim. At Cast Influence, those decisions guide a PR team that runs the programs and outreach, so strategy and execution stay connected.
What I am thinking about
View insightsMarketing
The 7 Biggest Challenges CMOs Face in 2026(opens in a new tab)
Seven pressures on marketing leaders this year, from budgets and AI readiness to measurement and talent, and how to decide which ones need attention first.
Measurement
AI Visibility Score: A Signal, Not a Business Outcome(opens in a new tab)
Why an AI visibility score is worth tracking as an early signal, and why it should not be reported to leadership as a business result.
PR
Funding Announcement Strategy: A Founder’s Playbook(opens in a new tab)
A closed round is news for the company. What founders should prepare so the announcement also explains what changes next.
Outside the marketing work
I also founded Aspire 2 More Fitness. Coaching is another part of my work, helping people build strength and stay active.
NASM CPT · PES · CES
Let’s talk about what your marketing needs next.
Bring the business challenge in front of your team, and we can work out whether senior marketing direction is the right next step.