About Richard McClurg
Richard McClurg is a Marketing & Go-to-Market Advisor and Fractional CMO who helps B2B technology founders and CEOs replace confusion with clarity. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, he works with clients to answer three fundamental questions: who they're for, what makes them different, and how to explain it in a way customers understand. He then builds a strategy that shows them exactly what to do next, whether they're validating product-market fit or preparing to scale.
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With over 20 years of B2B marketing leadership experience, Richard has launched more than 40 products into global markets and helped scale companies from $1 million to over $100 million in revenue. His work spans telecommunications, semiconductors, medical devices, media technology, public safety, automotive, industrial automation, and manufacturing industries.

Career Highlights & Track Record
Richard most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer at Dejero, a pioneer in multi-network critical connectivity solutions. During his nine years with the company, he built and led a high-performing marketing team that contributed to remarkable company growth and recognition.
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Under his marketing leadership, Dejero achieved significant milestones, including two Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (2018, 2020), recognizing the company's innovation in reliable transmission technology for live broadcasts. The company also earned multiple Deloitte rankings, including #9 on the Technology Fast 500 in North America and #4 on the Technology Fast 50 in Canada (2014), and was certified as a Great Place to Work for five consecutive years.
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Prior to Dejero, Richard held progressive marketing leadership roles at ON Semiconductor for nearly nine years, where he served as Senior Marketing Manager for the Medical Division and led strategic planning, product launches, competitive intelligence, and M&A integration activities. He also served as Marketing Manager at Dspfactory Ltd., where he built an influential marketing team that helped position the company for a successful acquisition by AMI Semiconductor.
McClurg Marketing & Services
In March 2023, Richard founded McClurg Marketing to provide positioning-led strategic marketing and go-to-market advisory services to B2B companies. He works with clients as a fractional CMO, strategic advisor, or project-based consultant, depending on their stage and needs. His engagements focus on helping companies move from confusion to clarity, enabling them to build effective marketing strategies and execute with confidence.
Unique Metholodgy: Real MARKETing
Richard developed the "Real MARKETing" approach—a foundations-first methodology based on the principle that Clarity → Strategy → Execution must always happen in that order. This framework addresses what he identifies as the root cause of most marketing failures: companies skip the foundational work of understanding their market, defining their positioning, and clarifying their messaging, then wonder why their tactical execution doesn't deliver results.
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His proprietary frameworks include the B2B Growth Diagnostic and Three Checkpoints for Scaling (Problem-Solution Fit, Product-Market Fit, and Go-to-Market Fit). These tools help B2B companies assess their marketing readiness and identify gaps in their foundational strategy.
Education & Professional Development
Richard holds an MBA and a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has also completed executive education programs in Direct Marketing and Dealer & Distributor Management from York University's Schulich School of Business.
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Committed to continuous learning, especially in emerging technologies, Richard has earned multiple professional certifications, including:
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Generative AI Use Cases for Marketers – Trust Insights (2025)
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Mastering Prompt Engineering for Marketing – Trust Insights (2025)
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Specialist Award in AI Marketing (with distinction) – CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing (2025)
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Certified AI Professional – MMC Learning (2025)
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Positioning Certified | Masters – Product Marketing Alliance (2023)
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Narrative Design Certified | Masters – Product Marketing Alliance (2022)
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Product Marketing Certified | Core – Product Marketing Alliance (2021)








Professional Involvement & Recognition
Richard is an active participant in several executive marketing communities, including CMO Coffee Talk (a community of 4,000+ CMOs) and Fractional Pros Canada. He serves as a mentor on ADPList, where he has been recognized as a Top 50 Mentor in Product Marketing, providing guidance to marketing professionals worldwide.
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He is a published author and has contributed to industry publications on competitive intelligence and B2B marketing strategy.
Featured Articles & Publications
Richard publishes regularly on B2B marketing strategy, positioning, and go-to-market fundamentals. His insights have been featured across multiple platforms, helping marketing leaders build foundations for sustainable growth. Selected articles include:​
On Positioning & Differentiation
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"Real MARKETing Starts With the Market (Who Knew?)" – His flagship article on why marketing must begin with deep market understanding
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"The Art of B2B Marketing: Mastering First Principles" – Strategic foundations that guide successful B2B marketing
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"Marketing is dead. Long live MARKETing!" – Why companies need to restore the "market" in marketing
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"Target Your Ideal Customers to Unlock Profitable Growth" – How identifying ideal customers drives efficient marketing and sustainable growth
On Go-to-Market Strategy
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"From Prospects to Advocates: Mastering the B2B Customer Journey" – Comprehensive guide to the infinite loop customer journey
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"Why Problem-Solution Fit Matters and How to Achieve It" – Critical first checkpoint for validating market needs before launch
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"The Importance of Product-Market Fit and How to Validate It" – Essential milestone validation for scaling companies
On Marketing Craft & Creativity
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"B2B Marketing Needs More Barf Bags" – Lessons from a defunct airline on making B2B copy less boring and more memorable
Published Work
- Book Chapter: "Using the Internet for Gathering Competitive Intelligence" in Managing Frontiers in Competitive Intelligence (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000)
Publication Platforms
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McClurg Marketing Blog – Primary platform for original content
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LinkedIn Articles – Long-form insights on positioning and go-to-market strategy
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Medium – Syndicated articles; featured contributor to Startup Stash
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Newsletter: "MARKETing Matters" – Monthly insights on B2B marketing fundamentals
Connect with Richard
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Website: mcclurgmarketing.com
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Email: richard@mcclurgmarketing.com
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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richardmcclurg
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ADPList: adplist.org/mentors/richard-mcclurg

