Josie Cook is a Marketer of the Future finalist in the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards 2025.
The winner will be announced on September 3.
Name: Josie Cook
Job title: Assistant Brand & Shopper Manager – Confectionery & Original Kiwi Dip, Nestlé
How it started
How did you find out you were nominated – what was the first thing you did?
I was actually overseas at the time in Rome with two of my friends. We went and got a coffee and a pastry for breakfast after visiting the sights. Then in the evening we had a celebratory Aperol Spritz (much needed in 37 degree temperatures) and then I rang my parents as they had just woken up.
What sparked your interest in marketing?
Sounds silly but I always loved watching the advertisements on TV when I was younger – it’s powerful how a brand can make you feel emotional/excited/annoyed in just a few seconds. I am also a sucker for some clever, creative, aesthetic packaging.
In a couple of sentences, sum up your marketing career so far.
My marketing career so far has been dynamic and rewarding. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work in the field sales and category functions in addition to marketing and I think this has really helped shape my career and provide a business-wide lens on the day-to-day work I do. Knowledge of in-store execution and category data from these functions has been truly invaluable to launching products into market. I’ve worked on some awesome global brands – KitKat, Milkybar, Aero. But also some Kiwi icons that hold a special place in my heart, (and my shopping basket): Scorched Almonds and Original Kiwi Dip.
Say hello to the other Marketer of the Future finalists 2025
Jess Bark
Lucy Hansard
Millie Astley
Simran Wadhawan
Thomas Siemsen
What do you like best?
What’s your favourite thing about marketing? Do you have a specialist area?
My favourite thing about marketing is creativity – and how brands show up in culture and our lives. I love seeing contextual OOH placements, clever advertising, innovative product launches, perfect-fit collabs and novel packaging that spark conversation and generate brand love.
I’m personally loving how brands are showing their personality in the TikTok comments section at the moment. In addition to sporting brands (Nike, Runna) doing experiential activations for their communities. I’m also fascinated by consumer and shopper behaviour – how people buy products, and what they use it for. And all the quirks you can get from shopper data platforms and qual/quant research. People only shopping for Original Kiwi Dip on Fridays and Saturdays!
My specialist area is shopper marketing and in-store execution. But my real superpower comes from my time in the category function – digging into data, spotting patterns and connecting the dots between facts, ideas and behaviours. I love using those insights to uncover opportunities and creativity to drive competitive advantage in the retail space and at point of purchase.
Tell us about a specific project you’ve worked on that stands out for you.
My first product I launched into market was the KitKat Cookie Dough block + bar. This product was our internal “big bet” and the stakes were high to knock this launch out of the park. In previous launches we hadn’t strongly communicated the filled/flavoured proposition of our NPD. We’d had limited cut through in-store as a result and we didn’t bring new people into the brand and grow our core products.
This launch was a real standout for me having the opportunity to launch a product from a global brand in a local market. Seeing it come to life through in-store displays, RDM and supported by ATL media & PR was exciting. Analysing the scan come in each week and watching it outperform all our KitKat NPD from the past 3 years by over 150k units, in addition to 58% of shoppers being new to brand was incredibly rewarding as it confirmed we had delivered on our objectives and resonated with consumers.
Hard stuff, good stuff
What are the biggest challenges for people starting out in this industry?
I think a big challenge going forward is that a lot of companies have disestablished their grad programmes in recent years, which appears relatively exclusive to marketing roles. Lawyers and Big 4s still have transparent graduate entry pathways, but it appears cloudier for marketing. As a Nestlé graduate myself, the skills I acquired, experience gained and people I met across multiple divisions in my programme were paramount to my success in the marketing division. If you’re starting out as a graduate, don’t be afraid to apply for jobs that don’t have the graduate title in them or ones that may not be in marketing. You’ll gain valuable skills regardless that can be used in any role.
Any advice for other young marketers?
If you’re able to juggle this with your studies, get some business experience – even if it feels slightly unrelated to traditional marketing. I worked at an agricultural science consulting firm for a few years, and despite not launching products to market and ideating PR campaigns, being in an operating business was invaluable.
AND, if your university offers an excel skills 101 paper or equivalent – take it.
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