The education and workforce landscape has been rapidly disrupted by AI and evolving demands, creating pressure for ETS (Educational Testing Service), a legacy education company known for its research. ETS faced an existential challenge: it was known for its flagship products, like TOEFL and GRE, but not for its brand. Its most vital differentiator — its leadership in the science of measurement — was buried, a footnote rather than the headline. In parallel, AI and digital tools made assessments widely accessible, causing testing to become commodified and new competitors to flood the market, diminishing the perceived value of traditional exams.
To reclaim its rightful place as an education and non-profit leader, ETS underwent a bold business and brand transformation to pioneer Future Readiness, spearheading a systemic change in how individuals, educators and employers assess, cultivate and develop the durable skills needed to succeed in the future of work.
ETS had the research, credibility and expertise to lead, but it needed to evolve beyond testing to remain indispensable. Its transformation focused on strategic objectives:
Global proprietary research illuminated how education, knowledge and career development are being redefined. The following insights fueled ETS’ transformation strategy:
These insights powered ETS' revolution in how we define education and how we identify and nurture talent.
AI has made test creation faster and easier, but the real challenge isn’t efficiency. It’s impact and real progress. Without a vision and foundation of ethics, deep expertise and rigorous, research-backed frameworks, assessments risk becoming transactional rather than transformational. The industry must ensure that measurement serves progress more than process.
ETS didn’t need to follow the race to the bottom with low-cost, AI-driven solutions. It raised the bar for what meaningful, ethical, and research-driven assessment should be.
Over six months, ETS evolved in myriad ways: It overhauled its brand strategy, refreshed its visual identity, anchored the brand in a reimagined digital experience, and critically redefined its category.
The category shift allowed ETS to expand its business model, moving beyond higher education into workforce development, offering B2B offerings for the first time in its history through ETS Solutions. By providing tailored, data-driven services to organizations worldwide, ETS created new revenue streams and future-proofed its role in the global economy.
A flexible brand architecture structured ETS’s services around its research, reinforcing innovation and reflecting the commitment to translate advancements into practical, accessible tools.
A reimagined brand strategy and purpose, “Advancing the Science of Measurement to Power Human Progress,” codified the commitment to real, tangible impact, built on three key measurable outcomes:
A refreshed visual and verbal identity leveraged the asterisk as ETS's defining symbol, reinforcing that research is not a footnote—it is the foundation of progress. Integrated across digital and physical assets, it signaled ETS’s ethical and research-backed leadership in education, workforce readiness, and lifelong learning.
ETS’s digital presence was completely redesigned and rebuilt to reflect its expanded role. A meticulously created website and digital ecosystem made it easier for businesses, policymakers and institutions to engage with its tools, research and B2B offerings.
Finally, ETS launched The Human Progress Report, solidifying its thought leadership by providing data-driven insights on global learning trends, educational equity, and workforce preparedness.
The transformation delivered exceptional results, with an emphasis on the impact of ETS' new anchoring website:
In a moment when many viewed ETS as rigid, transactional and rooted in an outdated model of assessment, ETS flipped the script. It emphasized outcomes instead of focusing on scores, advocating for the doors that open, the unlocked ambitions, the expanded possibilities, not just for individuals, but for the world at large.
By reframing assessment as a tool for empowerment and progress rather than a gatekeeping mechanism, ETS is positioned to revolutionize how we measure minds.
