Positioning Leader Spotlight
Meet TJ Waldorf, Chief Marketing Officer at 1WorldSync
TJ Waldorf is a B2B marketing leader with over 20 years of experience driving growth for companies in eCommerce, cloud hosting, and IT infrastructure. As the Chief Marketing Officer at 1WorldSync, the leader in Product Content Orchestration, TJ heads a global team dedicated to empowering brands and retailers to meet market challenges head-on. TJ’s resilience extends beyond the world of branding, though. Shortly after being appointed CMO, TJ suffered a traumatic seizure and was ultimately diagnosed with a brain tumor. TJ tells us more about catching curveballs—in life, and in marketing.
Why do you love working in marketing?
“I see marketing, and sales for that matter, as the vehicles that help customers become better versions of themselves. We’re not just selling widgets, we’re part of something much bigger. ”
Great marketers use data to make informed choices, but they also understand the human element on the other side of the numbers. Data can't always capture the intricacies of how people think and behave. It's all about finding that balance. In marketing, I get to be a student of psychology, figuring out how emotions influence buying decisions, even in the B2B world. Afterall, it’s still people making decisions for the businesses they work in.
But what really makes me proud to be a marketer is the chance to tell our customers' stories. It's about showcasing how our products or services empower them to achieve their goals and fulfill their purpose. That's magic for me. I see marketing, and sales for that matter, as the vehicles that help customers become better versions of themselves. We're not just selling widgets, we're part of something much bigger.
In your blog you’ve put a favorite quote of yours, “When life throws you curveballs, grab a bat and swing.” What are some of the curveballs that have been thrown your way?
I’m old enough to have been in the workforce now to have lived and worked through two recessions and a pandemic. With those examples alone I can say with confidence I’m versed in crisis management and communications ‘curve balls.’
Every business has its challenges and as a marketing leader it's our job to figure out how to best leverage the tools in the marketing tool chest to overcome those challenges and be a catalyst for business growth. I love the phrase “sales overnight, brand over time.” It’s such a truth to the role of marketing.
TJ’s hospital room vibes post-surgery.
I was appointed as CMO on the 7th of February, 2023. It was a great milestone, and I was thrilled. The very next day, I had a seizure next to the Starbucks in the train station right across from my work. It turned out that I had a small tumor on the front right side of my brain and needed an immediate awake craniotomy. Yes, I was awake for part of the surgery! That was certainly something that tested my spirit, but I believe it ultimately made me stronger.
I had a lot of questions. Why me? Why now? Will my family be OK? What about work? And I didn’t have answers. I just had to push through the experience. I think it’s made me more aware that obstacles are a part of life and of business—and that’s where the growth happens. Growth comes out of the other side of the obstacles and challenges in business and in life, not when you are comfortable.
What are the keys to positioning leadership?
Think of it like building a large pyramid. People get obsessed with the top of the pyramid—the part you can see from a distance. However, the most important part is the foundation you build, the unseen work in the background: Understanding your market, your customers (current and future) and your company's unique abilities to serve them. Getting there is easier said than done.
Next, you have to find alignment across the three pillars of the pyramid: your unique abilities, your current customers’ needs and your future customers’ needs. You have to accomplish this in a distinct way that makes it easy for the market to understand who you are, and how you can help them overcome their challenges and be more successful in whatever they do is key. ZOOM Marketing’s focus on taking a data-driven approach to deeply understanding all of this was transformational for us at 1WorldSync.
It strips away the assumptions you have—about yourself, your customers, how they see you, what they want—and gets to the heart of what matters and what makes you different. That provides the vision you can use to inform and inspire your entire team as a leader.
What is the creative breakthrough or exciting about 1WorldSync’s positioning? What insight led to that?
Through the process of working with the ZOOM Marketing team, interviewing customers and prospects, and analyzing the data, the ah-ha moment or insight for us was just how challenging it is for our ideal customers to break down internal silos and to successfully orchestrate a product content strategy for their commerce needs, both in store and online. Imagine a brand struggling to get product information—from supply chain data to marketing descriptions—flowing smoothly between teams responsible for logistics, e-commerce, and marketing. How do you deliver consistent and accurate product content across different retail channels like Walmart, Amazon, and Ulta?
In other words, the biggest challenge for our target audience wasn't the technology itself, but the internal roadblocks preventing them from effectively managing product content across departments.
This discovery led us to a powerful new brand narrative: Product Content Orchestration. This concept goes beyond simply managing content. It’s about the ability to harmonize people, processes, and data from various departments to ensure a seamless product content journey.
What are the keys to successfully rolling out positioning and getting alignment across the organization?
This all has to start at the top. This is not a marketing initiative, it’s a business initiative that starts with buy-in, backing, and a strong belief from the CEO and the executive leadership team. That’s what it was for us and that’s what I believe it needs to be for anyone going through a positioning change. If you don’t have that, hit the pause button and go get it first.
TJ shares how a positioning and brand refresh drives buyer resonance, customer advocacy, internal alignment—and ultimately, demand.
Once you have that buy-in, have a clear plan on how you’ll activate the positioning work once you’ve completed all the research, analyzed the data, and committed to the direction. All teams must be involved for maximum impact. Create ‘cheat sheet’ materials to make it easy for everyone to represent and communicate your new positioning in their specific day to day roles. Our product works so well because it brings different teams together–when there is unity and everyone is rowing in the same direction, magic starts to happen.
Remember, repetition is your superpower. The secret sauce to a smooth rollout, as I see it, is all about making sure everyone hears the new positioning loud and clear, and often enough to sing it in their sleep (almost).
People won't remember a jargon-filled lecture, but a short, impactful message they hear over and over will stick. Think catchy tagline, not Shakespearean sonnet. Don't relegate the new positioning to a one-time announcement. Weave it into every conversation, every email, every presentation you have. Team meetings, client calls, water cooler chats–all become opportunities to remind everyone about the exciting new direction.
Make sure everyone on the front lines—yourself included—is using the new messaging consistently. We can't expect buy-in if we're not all singing from the same hymnal.
How do you know your positioning’s working? How do you measure it?
There are plenty of tools of the trade: win-loss analyses, website traffic, brand surveys, social listening. But for me, there are two gauges: internal and external. If you are seeing company-wide acceptance and enthusiasm in the new message, you’ve won half the battle because you know the brand is being represented in a way that you want. Secondly, it’s pick-up. We saw more and more customers express their interest and approval in leveraging orchestration, which showed us that the message was resonating and sparking conversations in the market.
What are some of the most important qualities of a positioning leader?
I’ve written about the six stars of leadership before—and I think it applies to any marketing position or area of expertise. A successful leader requires a blend of courage, inclusion, competence, clarity, and coaching.
There are a few qualities I believe are essential, all centered around the idea of "serving the people you care most about," as Seth Godin would say.
Deep Empathy: A great positioning leader isn't just focused on features and benefits; they understand the hopes, fears, and aspirations of the target audience. They can see the world through their eyes and identify the problems they're truly trying to solve.
Community Champion: It's all about who you serve. A strong positioning leader doesn't just sell products or services, they champion the community they're building. They understand the power of fostering connections and creating spaces where people feel valued and supported.
Having a Purpose: The best positioning goes beyond the mundane. It sparks a fire, inspires a change. A great leader will challenge the status quo and develop positioning that not only solves problems but also aligns with a cause or mission that resonates with the target audience. It's about making a positive impact, not just a profit.
Understanding the Power of Content: Words matter. A strong positioning leader knows the power of creating content that educates, inspires, and solves problems. They champion the creation of valuable resources that truly serve the community they care about.
Refining, refining, refining: Positioning isn't a one-time shot. It's a continuous process of listening, learning, and adapting. A great leader iterates on the messaging, ensuring it continues to resonate with the target audience and serve their evolving needs.
By keeping these qualities in mind, we can create positioning that's not just about selling, but about creating a positive impact and truly serving the people we care about most.