I work with founder-led brands that need an experienced marketing strategist to set the direction, prioritise the right activity, and make sure effort goes where it counts.
I’m Cate Carroll, Director of Impression Media, a marketing strategist and consultant with over 25 years’ experience across marketing, communications, and brand strategy. I work with Australian businesses navigating growth, change, and moments where clarity matters.
My work sits at the intersection of strategy and communication. I help brands cut through the noise, stop spreading effort too thin, and build marketing plans that connect with where the business is actually heading.
Over the past several years, my focus has shifted increasingly toward food and beverage brands. This has grown through long-term partnerships and shared clients and reflects both the depth of experience I’ve built in the category and the type of work I find most rewarding. I understand the realities of FMCG, retail, and scaling a purpose-led brand.
I work best with clients who want an experienced outside perspective, someone who asks the questions their team might not think to ask, and stays close enough to make sure the plan holds.
I work on a retainer basis with clients who value long-term thinking over quick fixes.
Most marketing problems are prioritisation problems. Brands don’t usually struggle because they’re doing the wrong things, they struggle because they’re doing too many things without a clear reason for any of them.
My job is to bring that clarity. To help you work out what matters right now, what can wait, and what you should probably stop doing altogether.
Good marketing teams get stuck without experienced leadership. They’re executing without a clear plan, chasing too many priorities, or unsure which direction to push next.
That’s where I come in.
I work alongside your team as your senior marketing strategist, reviewing what’s in play, identifying what deserves focus, and building a plan that holds together over time.
No tactics for the sake of activity, no chasing trends, just clear thinking and steady progress.
I work primarily with founder-led FMCG and food and beverage brands. Ethical, purpose-driven businesses at a growth point where marketing needs real direction.
Most of my clients already have some marketing activity in place, whether that’s an in-house team, an agency relationship, or someone keeping things ticking over. What they’re missing is an experienced hand at the top of the strategy, someone to ask the hard questions and make sure effort goes where it counts.
I also work with other Australian businesses who value considered marketing strategy and want an experienced outside perspective to guide their decisions.
I start by understanding where you are, your goals, your current activity, and where the gaps are. From there, we work out what deserves focus and build a plan that makes sense for where the business is heading.
I stay close through monthly or quarterly check-ins, providing ongoing guidance as things shift and evolve. My role is to give you confidence in the direction, not just hand over a document and disappear.
I work on a retainer basis. The focus stays on outcomes and steady progress, not hours.
Contact Cate on 0402 075 070 or email cate@impressionmedia.com.au
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land where I live and work, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation. I acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.
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