A full local hire is usually premature at entry stage — you are paying for headcount before you know what the role needs to do. An agency can execute channels but rarely owns the underlying strategy. A fractional CMO sits between the two: senior strategic ownership without the cost or risk of a full-time hire before the model is proven.
Kando's model leans into this directly — Fractional CMO plus a Build, Run, Transfer engagement, so the client eventually owns a proven engine and, often, the hire that runs it, instead of staying dependent on an outside vendor indefinitely.