Client: The Aviation & Travel Training Group
Markets:  New Zealand
Scope: Brand Strategy & Positioning, Naming & Brand Identity,  Brand Language & Tone,  Market & Audience Insights, Brand Architecture & Consolidation, Internal Team Alignment & Activation, Marketing Communication.
Sector: Education & Training | Travel & Tourism | Founders | Private Equity 

Positioned for Growth, Built for Acquisition

Okay, here's that passage rewritten without the long dashes:

Challenge: When The Aviation & Travel Training Group acquired their key competitor, the founders faced a significant strategic challenge: merging two respected brands Sir George Seymour (30 years of heritage) and Travel Careers & Training (20 years of heritage). They needed strategic clarity to effectively consolidate, unlock brand value, and maximise business potential ahead of a planned exit sale.

Our Strategic Role: We were brought in to cut through the complexity and align the businesses strategically. With over 50 years of combined heritage, we identified and leveraged core strengths to reposition the new brand as the authoritative leader in travel and tourism training across New Zealand. Our strategic insight led to the creation of a unified and compelling new brand New Zealand School of Tourism (NZST) clearly differentiated and uniquely positioned in the market with the powerful strapline: “Work Ready... World Ready.”

Brand Execution & Differentiation: We developed a distinctive, authoritative brand identity supported by a clear, impactful visual framework. This new visual system highlighted NZST’s nationwide presence and positioned the brand firmly as the sector leader, ensuring consistent brand alignment across multiple campuses through strategic use of colour and iconography. Every brand element logo, visual language, and messaging was meticulously crafted to perform strongly across print, digital, social media, and environmental touchpoints, delivering clarity, consistency, and confidence in the market.

Targeted Acquisition Campaign: To drive rapid, measurable growth, we developed a targeted student acquisition campaign designed to resonate powerfully with millennial audiences. Employing sharp strategic insights, emotive messaging, and clear calls to action, we effectively positioned NZST as a direct pathway to aspirational careers and global opportunities. Our multi channel marketing strategy spanning digital, social, and traditional media was strategically crafted to optimise engagement and conversion, reinforcing NZST’s promise of graduates who were confidently "Work Ready… World Ready."

Outcome & Value Delivered: Our strategic approach delivered clear, quantifiable results, significantly increasing the consolidated brand’s value and market readiness. Our role in streamlining and repositioning the brands directly contributed to the successful sale to a Private Equity fund, affirming our ability to translate complexity into strategic clarity, actionable insights, and tangible growth outcomes.

The Steelworks
3/13 Coles Avenue, Mt. Eden
Auckland 1024, New Zealand
+64 9 35 85 692
colin@friction.co.nz
Linkedin

Based in Auckland New Zealand, I work with brands throughout Australasia, The Pacific and Asia.

It all starts with a conversation. © Friction 2025