Column Five

American visual communication agency

Column Five

Company type| Creative agency
Industry| B2B tech, financial services, higher education, consumer goods and more
Founded| 2009 (2009) in Orange County, California
Founder| Ross Crooks, Josh Ritchie, and Jason Lankow
Headquarters| Costa Mesa, California
Services|

* Brand strategy
* Content strategy
* Content creation
* Content distribution

Website| https://columnfive.com

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 Wins podcast, where they interview marketing industry leaders about how they build world-class brands.[5]

## History

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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.

## Clients

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Column Five has worked with a diverse range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, across various industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, and education. Notable clients include Instacart, Dropbox, Uber, Coinbase, JP Morgan Payments, SentinelOne, Netflix, Microsoft, Intuit, Metlife, and Roblox. Column Five has also worked with nonprofits such as Teach for America, International Rescue Committee, and Girls Who Code.

## Works

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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] and Mashie Awards.[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

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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.

Awards and Recognition  Year | Awarded By | Client | Category | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2024 | Anthem Awards | Mozilla | Bronze: Responsible Technology, Special Projects, and Awareness Categories | [17]
2024 | Collision Award | Mozilla | Gold: Marketing & Communications, Campaign Science & Technology;

Silver: Marketing & Communications, Campaign Non-Profit

| [18]
2023 | Telly Awards | Thorfi | Bronze: Non-Broadcast Craft-3D Graphics/Animation (Non-Stereoscopic); Silver: Non-Broadcast Craft-Use of 3D Animation; Silver: Non-Broadcast Craft-Fully Animated piece | [19]
2020 | Awwwards | VideoAmp | Honorable Mention | [20]
2020 | Webby Awards | Dialpad | Branded Entertainment, Scripted Video Honoree | [21]
2019 | Content Marketing Institute | SAP | Best Podcast/Audio Series, Content Marketing Project of the Year | [22]
2018 | One Show | Column Five | Merit Award | [23]
2018 | Applied Arts Magazine | Column Five | Artist/Design Firm Promotions - Series | [24]
2017 | Graphis | Column Five | Poster Annual — Silver Award (Promotion Category); Design Annual — Silver Award (Print Poster Categories) | [25]
2016 | One Show | Column Five | Merit Award | [26]
2013 | Webby Awards | Microsoft | Advertising, Media, & PR Viral Marketing Honoree | [27]

## References

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1. ^ "Column Five - Newport Beach, CA". Inc.com. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
2. ^ “Content Marketing Institute announces winners in 2019 Content Marketing Awards”. Content Marketing Institute. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
3. ^ "Dialpad UberConference”. The Webby Awards. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
4. ^ "Child of the 90s | Internet Explorer". YouTube. 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
5. ^ “Best Story Wins”. Apple Podcasts. Retrieved from podcasts.apple.com
6. ^ Malmsten, Stefan. "Column Five Finds Its Niche in Infographics Design". howdesign.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
7. ^ Max, Sarah. "How to Make a Picture Worth 100,000 Clicks". Time. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
8. ^ Kantrowitz, Alex. "Child of the 90s: Internet Explorer's New Viral Ad Gets Mixed Reviews on Social Media". Forbes. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
9. ^ Nudd, Tim (2013-12-11). "The 10 Most Watched Ads on YouTube in 2013". Adweek. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
10. ^ "Ads of the World January 2013 Winners | Ads of the World™". Adsoftheworld.com. 2013-03-08. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
11. ^ "Viral Marketing | 2013 | The Webby Awards Gallery + Archive". Winners.webbyawards.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
12. ^ "Mashies 2014 - Mashies". Mashable.com. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
13. ^ Rundle, Michael. "[[Rundle, Michael. "Microsoft's 'Child Of The 90s' Internet Explorer Ad Is A Nostalgic Trip Back In Time". HuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
14. ^ “Content Marketing Institute announces winners in 2019 Content Marketing Awards”. Content Marketing Institute. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
15. ^ "Information and Knowledge Strategy | Courses | School of Continuing Education". Ce.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
16. ^ Best Story Wins”. Apple Podcasts. Retrieved from podcasts.apple.com
17. ^ “MIECO: Mozilla Internet Ecosystem”. Anthem Awards. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
18. ^ “Mozilla Internet Ecosystem Documentary Series”. Collision Awards. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
19. ^ “2023 Winners”. The Telly Awards. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
20. ^ “VideoAmp - Awwwards Honorable Mention”. Awwwards. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
21. ^ “Dialpad UberConference”. The Webby Awards. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
22. ^ “Content Marketing Institute announces winners in 2019 Content Marketing Awards”. Content Marketing Institute. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
23. ^ “The One Show”. OneClub. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
24. ^ “Temple of Happiness”. Applied Arts. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
25. ^ “Pay It Forward”. Graphis. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
26. ^ “The One Show”. OneClub. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
27. ^ "Online Commercials | 2013 | The Webby Awards Gallery + Archive". Winners.webbyawards.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-16. Retrieved 2014-06-01.