Back in 2015, I wrote an article for The Press titled “Lessons in Whittaker’s tasty marketing”. It was about Whittaker’s being named New Zealand’s most trusted brand for the fourth year in a row and what the other industries could learn from a 100-year-old chocolate company. Ten years later, not much has changed: Whittaker’s is still the brand we trust most – in fact, it’s now New Zealand’s most trusted brand 14 years in a row, and the lessons from their marketing remain as sweet as ever.
But in 2025, there’s a new flavour to the story. The marketing world has shifted dramatically with AI, automation, HubSpot CRM tools, and data-driven strategies now part of every marketer’s toolkit. So what can we learn from Whittaker’s in the age of automation and generative content tools?
Back in 2015, Whittaker’s excelled by setting clear brand expectations through marketing and delivering an experience that exceeded them.
Fast-forward to 2025, and that principle is more critical than ever. With the rise of AI tools, chatbots, content generators and multichannel marketing, brands are producing more content than ever but that volume brings risk.
As we explored in our blog Concentrate on Authentic Personalisation at Scale, brands that lack a unified voice end up confusing their audience. In a world where AI can generate content in seconds, the risk isn’t speed it’s inconsistency.
Whittaker’s still delivers consistency: whether it’s packaging, advertising, social media, or the product itself, you know “good honest chocolate” when you see it. The same must apply to today’s digital marketer.
If you’re using HubSpot (or any CRM/automation stack) to send emails, trigger nurture flows, publish blogs and activate social posts you need to ensure every touchpoint feels like the same brand.
Those brand messages also needs to align with the actual experience your product or service is delivering, especially in a world where it is so easy for the buyer to obtain reviews and other independent advice about your offering.
Here’s how to translate it for 2025:
As 14 years as NZ’s most trusted brand proves, consistency isn’t boring, it’s your competitive edge.
In my 2015 article, I pointed out how Whittaker’s focused on emotion, not the technical details of making chocolate. That lesson is more relevant than ever in the AI era.
Brands today have access to endless automation but human experience remains the differentiator. While AI can write the copy, you still need to inject empathy, humour, and brand personality not to mention your experience and expertise.
Whittaker’s ads remain a masterclass in emotional storytelling from playful collaborations (L&P, Jelly Tip, Cookie Bear) to heartfelt national moments. B2B marketers could take note: the best content isn’t about what your product does, it’s about how it makes people feel.
In the original 2015 piece I flagged how Whittaker’s’ willingness to partner (for example with other Kiwi brands) gave them a leg-up in market presence and credibility.
For B2B businesses, here’s a perfect modern example: our industry partner story with WEL Networks. Together, Concentrate and WEL built New Zealand’s first fully-automated approval system for distributed generation applications (≤ 10 kW) moving from weeks to minutes by connecting HubSpot CRM, Service Hub, and integrations with HubSpot.
That project demonstrates how “two heads” plus modern tools can achieve what one brand alone often cannot.
Just as Whittaker’s opened doors by teaming up with unexpected brand allies, your technology or marketing firm can open new growth channels by teaming up with the right collaborators — and doing so with smart systems and a shared goal.
Ten years ago, Whittaker’s social media success was impressive 484,000 Facebook followers and real engagement (at a time when many brands were barely on social media). In 2025, that number is dwarfed by today’s multichannel mix of TikTok, Threads, and whatever platform launches next.
But the secret sauce hasn’t changed: Whittaker’s combines creativity with insight. Whether it’s using real-time social listening to jump on trends or leveraging customer data to personalise offers, they’ve mastered the art of being data-informed without losing their human touch.
That’s the same sweet spot for which today’s HubSpot users should aim.
That balance is even more essential now. With AI tools offering predictive analytics, generative content, and personalisation, marketers can make smarter decisions faster — but insight still matters. As outlined in Concentrate’s Making Friends with Data blog, it’s not just about collecting data but connecting it to action. The most successful brands in 2025 are those who use data to inform creativity letting data guide your marketing, but never letting it replace the storytelling heart of it.
In my 2015 article I noted how Whittaker’s had built trust by delivering on their product promise: consistent quality, transparent ingredients, and a brand experience that matched their messaging. That lesson holds true today but in 2025, it’s amplified by the platforms and systems that enable it.
Take the Chelsea Sugar case study. Chelsea Sugar is a beloved Kiwi brand, steeped in heritage, with a huge repository of consumer-generated content: 2,000 + recipes and 20,000 + reviews.
They recognised that their old CMS was holding them back site performance, searchability and engagement were all due for a modern upgrade.
So they re-platformed to HubSpot Content Hub (with the help of Concentrate), and the results speak for themselves:
If Whittaker’s built trust through consistency and emotion, and Chelsea Sugar reinforced theirs through a modern platform and user-centric experience your lesson is: keep your brand promise great and invest in the tools that prove it in 2025.
Back when I first wrote about Whittaker’s, I said their story was a lesson for Kiwi tech firms competing against global giants. That still rings true except now, the “global giants” include algorithms and AI models and an ever-changing digital marketing landscape as much as multinational brands.
Whittaker’s proves that technology may change, but trust, emotion, and quality still win hearts (and wallets). For marketers working in HubSpot or experimenting with AI, the challenge is the same as ever: use every tool at your disposal to deliver on your brand promise honestly, consistently, and with a little bit of fun.
Originally published in 2015. Updated for 2025 and still powered by good honest chocolate.
Q: How can HubSpot help scale marketing at a large brand?
A: HubSpot’s automation and AI tools allow you to maintain consistent messaging across emails, landing pages, and social posts, much like Whittaker’s maintains brand consistency in every chocolate bar.
Q: Can HubSpot help improve website engagement?
A: Yes! Chelsea Sugar’s move to HubSpot Content Hub Enterprise boosted direct traffic, session engagement, and user satisfaction — proving that good infrastructure + HubSpot tools = measurable results.