When it comes to marketing, the boldest ideas often come from imagining a future no one else can see, then making it real.

That’s exactly what Stanley Kubrick achieved with 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film that married meticulous research with visionary storytelling to create the most realistic depiction of space the world had ever seen. In this episode, we explore the marketing lessons behind it with special guest Josh Golden, CMO at Quad.

Together, we dive into how marketers can embrace risk, iterate through failure, compete on imagination rather than resources, and create experiences—both digital and physical—that deliver the elusive “wow” factor. All while staying relevant, resonant, and ready to invent the future.

About our guest, Josh Golden

As Chief Marketing Officer at Quad, Josh Golden is architecting the evolution of Quad as a marketing experience company. He leads a highly collaborative team that works with marketers around the world to clear the path for a frictionless solution to easily communicate with their optimal audience.

Quad’s clients are the lifeblood of its operations, driving the company’s evolution and influencing its every action. Josh is helping the company combine Quad’s history as a manufacturer and commercial printer with this marketer-obsessed philosophy to best support client growth and eliminate the interference that otherwise causes them to lose time, money, and customers.

Since assuming his role, Josh has defined the Quad brand narrative, developed the company’s “marketing experience” framing, implemented a new Quad design system and initiated brand and product marketing campaigns for key verticals.

With more than three decades of experience in marketing, branding, media, and content, Josh is one of the most prolific connectors in the marketing industry. Prior to joining Quad in 2021, Josh was President and Publisher of Ad Age where he spurred transformative growth for the venerable, 90-year trade publication and media brand. His passion for driving evolution was also on display as Vice President, Global Digital Marketing, at Xerox; Group Director of Digital Marketing at NBC Universal; Chief Digital Officer at Grey Group; Managing Director, Digital at Havas; and head of the first digital division at Young & Rubicam.

A self-proclaimed “professional groupie,” Josh avidly follows and cheers people who pursue their passions. He likes playing a little semi-aggressive tennis and makes a killer “cheater” banana bread. He lives in Westchester, NY with his wife and two teenage children.

Josh received his MBA from New York University and his B.S. in communications from Ithaca College.

• Embrace the process, not just the end product. Kubrick went through a massive number of iterations before landing on the film we know and love today. Josh says, “There is not one singular moment; it’s a series of failures.” In marketing, abandoned ideas aren’t wasted. They’re the iterations that lead to something great. Like Kubrick, be willing to test, discard, and refine until you find the version that truly resonates. The process is the work.
• AI can execute, but humans inspire. Hal, the AI in 2001, could run the ship, but couldn’t imagine a better way forward. Josh says, “ Humans have the capacity to do the wow factor.” AI can give you the exact steps to execute a campaign, but it can’t create the unexpected spark that makes it unforgettable. Your job as a marketer is to deliver that human insight and surprise that AI can’t replicate.
• Inspiration doesn’t have to start from scratch. 2001 began as a loose adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s short story The Sentinel, but evolved far beyond it. Josh reflects, “You’re ultimately gonna go rewrite it in your own way.” In marketing, you can take inspiration from existing ideas, but the magic comes from reshaping them into something uniquely yours.

“There’s moments that we all have as marketers where real ideas happen, and I celebrate those…but in truth…There is not one singular moment. It’s a series of failures…That inspiration is evident in the film, and it's evident that in the actual process of trying and failing and trying and failing and trying and failing, and then getting to a point where you're like, wow, this is actually kind of okay.’”

Links

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn

Learn more about Quad

About Remarkable!

Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. 

In today’s episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. 

Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.