NZMA

Problem

In 2019, the New Zealand Management Academies (NZMA) brand was tired and no longer relevant to their core audience. They needed to reset and rebrand to stand out in a crowded education market. Leadership changed, ambitious growth targets were established, and we were appointed creative partner. Then in 2020, lockdown hit and the entire education industry was disrupted.

Solution

We initially collaborated with design studio Unsworth Shepherd, to overhaul the NZMA brand and set the business up for growth. The key insight we built on was that vocational learners do not only seek a qualification; they seek a clear path out of their current, often low-income, situation.

Personal empowerment is as important to students as gaining skills for work. This observation informed our strategic platform: “Learn to move ahead.” Beyond the rebrand, campaigns have driven significant growth each year since — with an evolving strategy of brand-level storytelling, hyper-local executions and performance marketing, the number of students at NZMA in 2026 has doubled since 2020.

Anchored in culture

Corporate asset imagery was shelved. The visual identity introduced a fluid, digital-first logo mark. Woven into the logo was a wharenui-shaped “A”, subtly yet powerfully establishing NZMA as an inclusive, house of learning – a place where everyone is welcome.