The Herald Group Digital and Creative Teams Win AVA Platinum Achievement Award
The Herald Group’s Creative and Digital Teams have been recognized with a Platinum Award—the highest honor—at the 2026 AVA Digital Awards for Body of Work Achievement.
This recognition is especially meaningful because it honors not a single deliverable, but the full arc of work a team produces—strategy translated into creative, creative built to perform in the real world, and digital execution designed to meet audiences where they actually are. The AVA Digital Awards—administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP)—recognize excellence across digital communication, including web, video, social, and other interactive media.
What this Means
Our Creative and Digital Teams build work that’s designed for modern public affairs: fast-moving, high-stakes, and crowded with content competing for attention. This Platinum recognition reflects a few core principles we bring to every engagement:
Strategy-led creative: We start with the decision environment—who needs to move, what they need to believe, and what will make them care—then build creative that can actually carry that burden.
Platform-native execution: Digital work performs when it’s designed for the channel, not simply resized for it—message, pacing, and format all matter.
Craft + systems: We invest in the details (design, writing, motion, UX), but we also build repeatable systems so campaigns can scale, iterate, and respond in real time.
Integrated delivery: The best digital doesn’t live in a silo—it’s aligned with the broader communications plan, rapid-response needs, and stakeholder ecosystem.
Other Firm Updates
Recognition reflects the firm’s commitment to employee growth, mentorship and a collaborative culture.
Veteran Advocacy Executive Joins THG Leadership Team and Adds Further Depth to Firm as 15th Addition in 2026
The Herald Group earns seven Hermes Creative Awards—four Gold, three Honorable Mentions—for work spanning blog content, website design, paid media, outdoor advertising, and LinkedIn performance.
The Herald Group earned Gold and Silver at the 2026 MUSE Creative Awards for work on the Alliance for IRS Accountability—a reflection of how integrated strategy and creative drive results in public affairs.
The Herald Group has named Colin Hensel Senior Director of Digital and AI Innovation and Analytics—a role built to lead the firm's deliberate, strategy-first approach to AI in public affairs.
The Herald Group is proud to announce the promotions of 11 team members—reflecting the talent, dedication, and leadership that continue to drive the firm forward.
As 2025 closes, The Herald Group reflects on a year of consequential wins, accelerating change, and a team that delivered—and looks ahead to an even more complex 2026.
In celebration of The Herald Group’s 20th anniversary, we look back with pride at our strong track record of success. Our firm’s ability to compete and win in the halls of government has delivered critical policy victories for our clients—and our nation.
The Herald Group announced the appointment of Chuck Burgess as the firm’s EU-based Strategic Advisor. In this new position, Burgess will help THG clients pursue business opportunities and navigate policy and communications challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Herald Group has named Katie Wright to lead its growing energy practice, bringing two decades of executive-level public affairs and issue advocacy experience across energy, healthcare, and consumer goods.
We are thrilled to welcome Becky Boles as our new Chief Client Services Officer. An industry veteran, Becky’s expertise in both managing client campaigns and leading professional development programs will be instrumental to our firm as we continue to grow.
It's been a season of recognition for THG’s digital team and it’s no wonder why! Our team of digital professionals at The Herald Group continues to innovate and grow, drawing acknowledgement from industry experts. We’re excited to congratulate them for their recent awards!
The Herald Group's Ashley Pratte Oates has been named a PR News Mentor of the Year—recognition that reflects the leadership, investment in others, and commitment to growth she brings every day.
Today The Herald Group announced Bill Bertles has joined the firm as partner on its executive team. He will lead the firm’s business development efforts. Bertles comes to The Herald Group following a 25-year tenure growing a public affairs firm into a global communications agency.