Our Rebrand Journey

Over the last few years, ACE has been on a journey. We’ve evolved into the modern and relevant association you know today. We’re more visible than ever, we’re in more conversations and at more decision-making tables, and we’re leading and driving innovative action to support the sector.

While ACE’s membership and industry impact has grown, our brand and visual identity have not kept pace. So last year we started the work to align our brand identity with our strategic direction.

Strategic path

In 2021 we undertook research to understand exactly what members want from ACE. Those who took part told us that the challenges they face now go far beyond the technical skills of the trade. It is a balance of intangible issues (such as diversity and inclusion and the sustainability responsibilities of the sector) and tangible issues (such as skills shortages, contracts, risk and liability, and consultancy skills), in which our members need support.

As ACE is not tied to one specialisation, we’re able to view the sector through a holistic lens; examining and understanding the entire eco-system. This whole-world perspective puts ACE in the unique position to be able to drive important sector-wide advocacy, prepare the industry for today and tomorrow and help raise a high bar of professionalism.

We’ve designed our strategy to meet this need, creating a clear direction to give members what they need from us and to ensure we are delivering the best value to the sectors we support. We’re elevating the voices, preparedness and professionalism of our members, so you can do what you do best – delivering remarkable outcomes for Aotearoa.

With the strategic path and aspirations set, our focus moved to our brand identity, to ensure that it would best articulate and leverage this fresh direction. Brands evolve, and while relevant in its time, the current brand does not reflect our value going forward. We want our brand identity to speak directly to the bold territory we are taking forward and to project the acumen and intellect required of an organisation that occupies a leadership role in its world. Our current brand can’t take us there.

With the reputational overlap with others in our space, we have to be doubly clear about our role and position and be brave about using more unique ways to describe what we do.

The opportunity therefore was to build a strong brand that says: “ACE has its finger on the pulse of issues that consultancies face”. A brand that makes us instantly recognisable, encourages discourse, and clearly positions ACE as the leading voice of the sector.

New identity

This new identity takes the ACE brand well beyond a new logo. It is bold and contemporary and elevates the brand to match the status of the professional industry it supports. It creates a clear and credible platform for advocacy and encourages dialogue and debate. It provides a tool to ask the hard questions and creates a focus point for best practice information.  It is about listening, speaking out and being heard, and most importantly it’s about having the right conversations. An important part of this will be highlighting the amazing mahi you do – providing fresh and relevant insights and thought leadership.

We are really excited about taking ACE forward with its new look and hope you like it as much as we do. I’d love to hear your thoughts at [email protected].

Helen Davidson, ACE CE