The Gilded Age: B2B Marketing Lessons on Turning Patience into Power with Chief Marketing Officer at Auctane, Laura Goldberg

Big budgets and star power don’t guarantee success. Sometimes it takes time, refinement, and the right story to win an audience.

That’s the journey of The Gilded Age, the HBO drama that overcame early skepticism to become a hit. In this episode, we dig into its marketing parallels with the help of our special guest Laura Goldberg, Chief Marketing Officer at Auctane.

Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from practicing patience, locking in product-market fit, and doubling down when momentum builds to gain lasting growth.

About our guest, Laura Goldberg

Laura Goldberg is the Chief Marketing Officer at Auctane. She is a seasoned, operations-driven go-to-market executive with a proven track record of propelling software companies to new heights, particularly serving small and medium sized businesses (SMBs), a vital segment for Auctane. Goldberg excels in crafting data-driven marketing strategies that resonate with customer needs, and her expertise will be key in advancing Auctane's mission to deliver exceptional shipping and mailing experiences to businesses worldwide.

Previously, Laura was the CMO at Constant Contact, a digital marketing platform trusted by millions of small businesses and nonprofits. She has also held marketing leadership positions at Kabbage, an American Express Company, and LegalZoom, where she played key roles in driving customer growth, revenue expansion, and EBITDA improvements, leading to successful exits for both companies.

What B2B Companies Can Learn From The Gilded Age:

• Patience is essential. The Gilded Age wasn’t an overnight success—it built momentum slowly, and Laura sees the same in B2B marketing. “You got to have patience. You got to see it more than once. It has to build. You may not be a… hot [thing] out of the gate. But… it’s going to build. Nobody makes a decision… with The Gilded Age, it’s a solid hour and you got to pay attention. Like you have to make a commitment to it and it takes time.” Marketing results rarely happen instantly. Success comes from committing, nurturing, and allowing campaigns to grow into traction over time.
• Product-market fit is non-negotiable. The show’s elaborate sets and costumes bought it some time, but what kept audiences hooked was stronger storytelling in later seasons. Laura draws a clear B2B parallel: “You may have some stumbles outta the gate… You got to deliver the goods. The product market fit, if you will, has to be there eventually. It doesn’t have to be perfect right out of the gate, but it has to get to perfect pretty quickly.” In other words: creative campaigns and strong distribution will only get you so far—if the product doesn’t ultimately deliver, marketing can’t save it
• Lean in when you gain traction. Once The Gilded Age started buzzing online, the promotion amplified everywhere. Laura says the same is true for B2B: “Once you get traction, lean in. When I tell you that my socials, everything I see is talking about this show… I see Mr. Russell in his flower suit all over the internet. By the way, I think it’s an interview from two years ago that I keep seeing. So recycle all that stuff. But once you feel that traction gripping, lean in, repeat, be on everything. Repost, retweet… you have to lean in when you’re doing well and really get that momentum.” Marketers should maximize momentum, recycle strong content, and make sure their presence is unavoidable when the audience is paying attention.

Quote

“ Customer, customer, customer. I feel like too many times it’s really easy to talk about why your product’s great and what it does… but you really have to frame it in the, what are you doing for me and me being the customer. How am I making things faster, cheaper, better for your end customer with what we’re doing, and making sure that you’re not just yelling features and functionality at people.”

Time Stamps

[00:55] Meet Laura Goldberg, Chief Marketing Officer at Auctane

[01:14] Why The Gilded Age?

[02:57] The Role of CMO at Auctane

[09:50] What is The Gilded Age?

[26:28] The Craft of Period Pieces

[29:19] B2B Marketing Lessons from The Gilded Age

[31:43] Laura's Marketing Strategy as a CMO

[37:25] Winning Across Channels

[49:35] Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Links

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn

Learn more about Auctane

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. 

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