Best Story Wins

Best Story Wins

Welcome to “Best Story Wins,” a podcast for marketing and branding professionals looking to unlock their growth potential. Hosted by Column Five—a B2B marketing agency that specializes in brand and content marketing for SaaS companies—each episode features insightful conversations with industry leaders who are winning customers’ hearts and minds by building world-class brands. Tune in to hear expert insights, hard-won lessons, and key strategies to take your own marketing efforts to the next level.

Episodes

May 22, 2025 34 mins
The brands that move first on human connection build an edge no algorithm can touch. The question is: Will you move fast enough to matter?

In this episode, Allison Stadd of Shipt lays out why brands that lead with care, and not only convenience, are the ones winning now and leading the human-centric revolution in marketing. She breaks down how human connection is becoming the real growth engine, how collapsing old brand and performa...
Mark as Played
Most B2B marketers are stuck proving short-term wins. Not because it drives the best results, but because it’s the only story the numbers can tell. Could this be why long-term growth, brand equity, and strategic influence keep slipping through the cracks?

In this episode, Victoria Gamlen, CMO of Boundary Analytics, unpacks the disconnect between brand investment and how we measure success. She explains why traditional attribution mo...
Mark as Played
Marketing leaders are under more pressure than ever, and many are stuck playing defense. With budgets tightening and short-term wins taking priority, how can CMOs reclaim their seat at the table and drive real business impact?

In this episode of Best Story Wins, Michael Duda—partner at Bullish and former agency leader—shares how he’s blending creative and financial capital to back high-growth brands like Peloton, Warby Parker, and H...
Mark as Played
Marketers are pumping out more content than ever, yet consumers somehow trust it less than their own data. Impressions are meaningless if you’re not driving impact. 

In this episode, Chase Howell, VP of Marketing at InfoTrust, shares the formula of B2B marketing that builds trust, converts, and scales without losing its human touch. From launching bestselling books to ditching digital-only in favor of in-person events, Chase shares ...
Mark as Played
Today, anyone can build an AI product on a weekend. To stand out in the market, you must rely on your story. 

In this episode, we are joined by Ben Parr, co-founder of Octane AI and Theory Forge Ventures to talk about what separates good companies from great ones: story and speed. Drawing from past experiences building AI products (before LLMs existed), Ben shares insights on how startup founders should think about brand, content, c...
Mark as Played
Today, thinking about AI completely replacing humans is impossible. Why? Because it means replacing creativity, context, and more importantly, intuition. 

Hiten Shah, serial entrepreneur, investor, and now working on AI at Dropbox, joins Josh and Jason to discuss how smart marketers and builders are using AI as a thought partner rather than a content machine. Hiten also drops hard-earned wisdom on what marketing still gets wrong, wh...
Mark as Played
If your content doesn’t have a ‘so what,’ you shouldn’t bother hitting publish. 

Drew Evans, who leads B2B content strategy at Notion, joins the show to talk about why storytelling—not templates, tools, or tired SEO tactics— moves the needle in B2B marketing.

Drew makes a strong case for substance over spam by emphasizing the importance of a great writing comeback. He gets candid about what’s broken in B2B and what marketers need to ...
Mark as Played
If your brand only shows up when a customer has a problem, you’ve already lost the game.

In this episode, we sit down with Gabe Larsen, CMO of Kustomer, to tear into what most B2B marketers are getting wrong, and why brand isn’t a “nice to have,” function but rather the differentiator. Gabe drops the kind of no-fluff, first-principles manifesto that B2B leaders need to hear right now: customer service starts at hello, not help.

We br...
Mark as Played
March 27, 2025 35 mins
B2B marketing doesn't need to be predictable or stale. As people’s attention span is shrinking, shouldn’t B2B content be as vibrant and creative as consumer-focused storytelling?

In this episode, Megan Brunner, B2B Content Strategist at Adobe, reveals how brands can level up their storytelling, infuse genuine creativity into their content, and move beyond traditional corporate imagery by applying the best from B2C content strategies...
Mark as Played
March 20, 2025 40 mins
In today’s world, attention spans are shorter than ever. 
With this in mind, marketers need to let go of outdated content tactics to embrace the future of B2B content, and some of the best ways to do this is through the smart use of video and leveraging original insights.

In our latest episode of Best Story Wins, we sat down with Laura Wilkinson, Director of Brand Marketing at Vidyard, to talk about how video is the not-so-secret wea...
Mark as Played
March 13, 2025 34 mins
Most B2B content today feels generic: AI-generated fluff, generic SEO blog posts, and bland corporate jargon no one reads. Meanwhile, the brands that stand out—the ones people want to engage with—are playing a different game. So what’s their secret?

In this episode, we sit down with Jenny Thai, Head of Content at Vanta, to dig into how to build a winning brand through content. Drawing from her experience in crafting compelling brand...
Mark as Played
March 6, 2025 48 mins
The marketers who know how to wield AI as a force multiplier are already outpacing everyone else. Are you evolving fast enough to stay relevant?

In this episode, we sit down with Stewart Hillhouse, VP of Content at storyarb, to explore the evolving B2B marketing flywheel—where AI, creativity, and strategy must work together to keep brands growing. Stewart explains why the old approach to content marketing is dying and how today’s ma...
Mark as Played
February 27, 2025 42 mins
Every brand creates content, but only a few stand out. 

AI has made it easier for everyone to produce high-quality content, yet most brands get stuck in a cycle where they're creating good enough content but fail to stand out. What does it actually take to break through?

In this episode, we interviewed Ross Crooks of Column Five to explain why the past decade's content playbook is dead.

Ross shares why brands that aren't differentiate...
Mark as Played
February 20, 2025 35 mins
It can be easy to lose sight of the need for deep emotional connections in a world where everyone seems obsessed with AI, automation, and bottom-funnel conversions. But being able to connect authentically with your customers is the lifeline of every business. 

In this episode, we sat down with Michael Fitzsimmons, VP of Growth at Mews, who shared how forward-thinking brands reject generic tactics and double down on storytelling, bol...
Mark as Played
February 13, 2025 46 mins
The biggest challenge in B2B marketing isn’t so much generating demand, but it’s keeping folks from ghosting you, even long before they enter your pipeline.

In this episode, Matt Hogan, VP of Marketing at HG Insights, reveals why B2B buying behavior has radically changed, and how most companies struggle to keep up. He breaks down the rise of shadow buying, the increasing role of CFOs and CIOs in decision-making, and why your brand i...
Mark as Played
February 6, 2025 34 mins
About 85% of competing software companies are pretty much the same.

The winning companies focus on staying in the 15% that represents an opportunity to truly differentiate, which is also what the company’s goals should be tied to.

In this episode, Egan Montgomery, Co-founder and VP of Marketing at Backstroke, reveals how his generative AI-powered platform is changing how email marketing works, boosting performance by 30% compared to ...
Mark as Played
January 30, 2025 48 mins
Your biggest competitive advantage in B2B isn't your product; it's the story that people tell themselves about your company. Today's winning brands shape the story by balancing giving people the content they want while never resting on their laurels. 

In this episode, Obaid Durrani, of Clay, shares his vision for what this means and gives examples of how he's pushing boundaries and reimagining what b2b content can and should be, whi...
Mark as Played
January 23, 2025 37 mins
It’s smart, it’s fun, and it might just change how you think about content. In today’s noisy digital world, Autodesk knows how to stand out: by telling stories that truly matter.

In this episode, Andrew Gori takes us behind the scenes of Autodesk’s human-centric content strategy, showing how his team connects with audiences in the construction industry. From his journey as an aspiring journalist to leading bold content strategies at...
Mark as Played
January 16, 2025 38 mins
The more you post, the less your audience cares. With brands trapped in an endless cycle of content production, is the key to standing out doing less?

In this episode, Nate Skinner, Head of Brand Creative Strategy at Squarespace, shares his insights on breaking free from the "always-on" trap. He explores how Squarespace integrates bold creativity with meaningful storytelling, why personal branding is changing the B2B industry, and h...
Mark as Played
January 9, 2025 39 mins
The biggest mistake B2B marketers make today is prioritizing metrics over creativity. Brands that play it safe and shy away from bold risks are destined to fade into the background. 

In this episode, we are joined by Kyle Lacy, CMO of Jellyfish, as he shares actionable insights on how to pair creativity with strategic alignment to drive both brand resonance and measurable success. Kyle also explores the pitfalls of ROI-driven brains...
Mark as Played

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