VIP Marketing and Craft Creative Receive Six Golden Gavel Award Nominations

VIP Marketing and its video production subsidiary, Craft Creative, were recently nominated for six 2026 Golden Gavel Awards, a distinction recognized across the legal marketing industry as one of its highest honors.

The Golden Gavel Awards, hosted by The A-List, spotlight agencies setting the standard for legal advertising and marketing. Categories span digital strategy, website design, podcasts, film, video, audio, and out-of-home campaigns. Being nominated places VIP Marketing and Craft Creative among a select group of agencies influencing how legal services are communicated and experienced.

But the recognition matters less for the number itself and more for what it reflects.

Why the Golden Gavel Awards Matter

For law firms unfamiliar with the Golden Gavel Awards, they are designed to recognize legal marketing that goes beyond visibility alone. The focus is on work that demonstrates clarity of thinking, quality of execution, and awareness of audience.

Unlike many award programs that emphasize scale or volume, Golden Gavel nominations often point to intention. They highlight agencies that approach legal marketing as a responsibility, not just a channel mix.

That framing aligns closely with how VIP Marketing and Craft Creative approach our work.

Combining Attention and Intention In a Crowded Market

Legal marketing today is louder than it has ever been. Attention is easier to capture than trust, but trust is harder to earn.

VIP Marketing believes legal marketing should help attorneys stand out without talking past the people they are trying to serve. Our work should meet audiences where they are, especially during moments when decisions feel heavy and trust feels fragile.

Craft Creative extends that philosophy through storytelling. Legal storytelling should feel human and intentional. It should resonate without forcing attention. The goal is not to impress for the sake of spectacle, but to help people feel understood.

Together, strategy and storytelling operate as one system.

How Strategy and Storytelling Work as One

VIP Marketing focuses on digital growth and positioning through SEO, PPC, branding, and website strategy. Craft Creative brings that strategy to life through cinematic production across video, audio, and most importantly: storytelling.

Rather than operating as separate vendors, the brands work as a single unit. Strategy informs the story. Craft carries it forward. Our integrated approach is reflected in the 2026 Golden Gavel nominations we’ve received.

2026 Golden Gavel Award Nominations

VIP Marketing and Craft Creative received nominations in the following categories:

• Digital - Best Blog (2 nominations)
• Digital - Best Website Design
• Film, Video, and Sound - Best Podcast or Webisode
• Film, Video, and Sound - Best TV Broadcast and Streaming Commercial (16 to 30 seconds)
• General - Best Mass Tort Advertisement
• Out of Home - Best Transit Campaign

Together, our nominations reflect the work our agencies believe in. Marketing that slows down, thinks harder, and treats trust as something you earn.

Why This Matters When Choosing a Long-Term Marketing Partner

Awards are not the goal. But they can serve as a signal. For law firms evaluating marketing partners, our nominations point to an approach grounded in care, accountability, and long-term thinking. VIP Marketing and Craft Creative do not overpromise. We do not disappear. We do not settle for “good enough.”

We focus on work that holds up, even as platforms and trends change.

What We Keep Coming Back To

As our Founder and CEO, Eric Elliott, has shared, recognition is never the objective. Doing good work for good people is.

“We’ve been recognized by the American Marketing Association before, and that meant a lot to our team. This recognition from the Golden Gavel Awards feels aligned with our belief system. When you set out to do the work the right way, the same work has a way of standing on its own.”

If our approach to legal marketing resonates with you, we’d welcome a conversation about how thoughtful strategy and storytelling can work together for your firm.