Greenough’s First Media Challenge: Turning Q4 into a Winning Game of Collaboration and Creativity
At Greenough, we pitch stories, but we also create them. This past quarter, we turned the hunt for top-tier media coverage into an all-out, agency-wide competition involving strategy, grit, and creativity. The idea sparked during a lighthearted debate between me and Jack Levy, our media guru on Team Ameresco: Who could get more top-tier hits?!
The banter evolved into a bigger question: What if we made this a team-wide challenge during Q4 — a notoriously tough time for media traction? With Nikki’s go-ahead, we engineered an experiment focused on team-wide collaboration and execution under pressure.
The stakes? High.
Each member of the winning team would walk away with a significant cash prize. With so much on the line, the agency split into four “Hogwarts houses” — Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor – and began to compete.
The Rules Were Simple
The goal: maximize client coverage.
The timeline: just under three months.
The strategy: collaborate to leverage team members’ unique skills to deliver results
What happened next was magic (Hogwarts pun intended). Team members who had never worked together united under their house banners. Slack channels buzzed with updates, insights, and playful taunts. Pitches were crafted, refined, and sent out with precision. Top-tier opportunities began rolling in thanks to the diligent outreach of our team — including Newsweek, Axios, Business Insider, Fortune, Fast Company, and Morning Brew, to name a few.
The creativity was palpable. The hustle was undeniable. By the time the challenge ended, every team had redefined what was possible, but one stood out.
The Power of Two Points
In a tight finale, Team Slytherin, led by SVP Christine Williamson, triumphed by just two points over Team Hufflepuff, captained by VP Kenneth Craig. Christine’s daughter, a Harry Potter superfan, may have been disappointed her mom wasn’t on Hufflepuff, but Slytherin’s 217 points left no doubt about their dominance.
Winning team members included Alana MacLeod, Julia Monz, Jack Levy, Angel Gohel, Ashley Richardson, and Abi Blanchard.
Why This Challenge Mattered
Beyond the cash prize, the challenge showed us the raw potential of collaboration under pressure, the beauty of shared goals, and the thrill of proving what’s possible. Yes, the win was sweet (and so were the dumplings at the celebratory end-of-year extravaganza). But the lessons and new friendships formed? They’re even sweeter.
As we look to next year, we’re not asking, Can we do it again? We’re asking, What’s the next challenge to tackle? It was awesome how many team members came up after the challenge ready for us to host another one.
At Greenough, every win — big or small — is just a stepping stone to the next level as we craft the moments that matter.
To the victors go the spoils. To the rest of us? The challenge to rise higher. But, in reality, we all won, and so did our clients, as our team – agency-wide – showed their media prowess and the power of working together towards a shared goal.
What our clients say
Ameresco
Leila Dillon, SVP, Corporate Marketing and Communications
It's clear that the Greenough Communications team has a deep understanding of the clean tech and climate transition spaces. Within the first month of working together, they were able to land interviews with The Washington Post, The New York Times and Canary Media, just to name a few! Since working together, we've seen our media coverage and quality increase significantly across the board. We value Greenough's partnership are looking forward to our continued work together.
Boston Micro Fabrication
Laura Galloway, Marketing Director
As a small marketing team, having an agency partner that feels like a true extension of my team is invaluable. The Greenough Communications team is professional, responsive and has taken the time to understand our business, putting our brand in front of the customers who matter for our growth. I’ve been very happy with our first year of partnership and look forward to future success.
Acrolinx
Mariana Just, Vice President, Marketing
We started working with Greenough Communications over a year ago, and it's been a fantastic journey. They really understand who we are at Acrolinx and what we want to say. Their ability to amplify our message in a crowded AI space has been impressive, delivering solid media results in the outlets that matter, securing the AI Breakthrough Award, and boosting our executive team's social media presence. As we continue our partnership, we're excited about expanding our reach and market presence, building upon our refreshed positioning and messaging with Greenough's expertise guiding us every step of the way.
IQE
Steven Curwood, Director of Corporate Marketing
At IQE, one of our goals is to demystify the vital role compound semiconductors play in the industry and the future of innovation. As we aim to broaden our brand's reach in the U.S. market, finding an agency that understands our technology and the intricacies of our work is crucial. Greenough Communications stood out as that agency from the start. In the short time we've worked together, they've already validated our choice with opportunities in key media, including CNBC, NPR, and the U.S. trade media that will move the needle for our brand and message. There's much ahead for us, and we're excited to have the Greenough team by our side.
Arbella Insurance
John Donohue, CEO
Our Greenough team has excelled in learning our business and our challenges and has been extremely effective in developing and executing a PR strategy that helps drive our success.
Wolters Kluwer Health
André Rebelo, Global Marketing Communications & Public Relations
Our Greenough team has been a strategic asset in sustaining targeted growth in our PR and external communications. The team really operates like an extension of our internal team, aligned and effective. They've deftly balanced the needs of multiple sub-groups' objectives and needs, getting great results in the publications our customers read.
GlobalFoundries
Laurie Kelly, Chief Communications Officer
Greenough Communications has been more than just a PR agency for us at GlobalFoundries; they've been true partners. From navigating our IPO to driving impactful education campaigns like the one leading up to the passage of the CHIPS Act, they've been instrumental in showing the world our leadership role in this new technology era. Their knack for building connections with the industry and our team, including our executives, has been impressive. Every year, we throw new challenges their way, and they keep delivering. As we move ahead together, we're excited to keep pushing the boundaries, sharpening our brand narrative, and taking our brand awareness to the next level.
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Integrated Marketing
Content Development
Public Relations
Brand Strategy
Public Relations
Brand Strategy
Integrated Marketing
Content Development
Public Relations
Brand Strategy
Integrated Marketing
Content Development
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