Column Five Media (often referred to as Column Five) is a B2B marketing agency that specializes in brand and content marketing for SaaS companies, as well as content marketing, branding, strategy, data visualization, and multimedia production services.The company ranked #291 on the Inc. 500 2013 list of the fastest-growing media companies in the U.S.[1] The agency has also earned various accolades for its work, including awards from the Content Marketing Institute[2] and Webby Awards[3], and is notable for creating and producing the viral video "Child of the 90s" on behalf of Internet Explorer.[4] In 2023, Column Five also launched the Best Story Winspodcast, where they interview marketing industry leaders about how they build world-class brands.[5]
Column Five was founded by Ross Crooks, Josh Ritchie, and Jason Lankow in 2009 in Orange County, California. The company gained early recognition as pioneers in the infographic marketing space, creating infographic and data visualization designs for Bay Area startups,[6] including Mint.com (acquired by Intuit) and publications such as Forbes and Time,[7] before expanding its services into content marketing, branding, strategy, and multimedia production.
Column Five has received several industry accolades for excellence in design, storytelling, and digital marketing. One of Column Five’s most notable projects is the "Child of the 90s" ad produced for Internet Explorer's "Browser You Loved to Hate" campaign[8]. The viral video amassed 50 million views, ranked #3 on AdWeek's Top 10 Viral Ads of 2013,[9] won a Gold award in the Best Film category for Ads of the World January 2013,[10] and received nominations for both the Webby Awards[11], as well as Mashie nominations for Best Viral Video and Best In Show.[12] "Child of the 90s" also received significant media coverage in publications such as Time.[13]
In 2019, their “Searching for Salai” podcast series for SAP won the Content Marketing Institute’s Content Marketing Award for Best Podcast/Audio Series and Content Marketing Project of the Year[14]. The organization’s work has also been featured in publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, and The Atlantic.
Educational Contributions
In 2011, the co-founders were invited to teach the Visualization of Information graduate course on data design at Columbia University[15]. In 2012, Crooks, Ritchie, and Lankow published the book Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling (published by Wiley). In 2023, they launched the Best Story Wins podcast, where they interview marketing industry experts and thought leaders about how they win customers’ hearts, minds, and marketshare[16]. The founders also continue to conduct workshops, keynote presentations, and webinars to share content marketing strategies on data visualization and storytelling.
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