Case study: Malibu and Axis Wake brands
Custom HubSpot CMS pages, branded 404 pages, and a modular email system, built for Malibu Boats and adapted for its Axis Wake brand.
Chelsea gave our team tools we use every day. We can build on-brand emails for both Malibu and Axis Wake ourselves, in a fraction of the time, without waiting on a developer.
At a glance
20+
reusable email modules
15+
email clients tested
5+
responsive breakpoints
2
brands, one shared system
Client
Malibu Boats, Inc. (Malibu and Axis Wake brands)
Scope
HubSpot CMS pages, email modules, and team documentation
Timeline
2025 to 2026
Platform
HubSpot CMS (HubL)
Overview
Malibu Boats is the world’s largest manufacturer of premium watersports towboats, serving dealerships and consumers globally through brands including Malibu, Axis Wake, and Cobalt Boats. The project gave its marketing team custom HubSpot pages, reusable modules, and a modular email system, so the team could build on-brand campaigns without waiting on developers.
See it in action
Custom 404 pages for both brands, plus the email modules and organized Design Manager behind them.
Use the arrows to browse, or click a screenshot to enlarge it
The challenge
Three problems stood in the way of fast, consistent campaigns across both brands.
404 and 500 pages didn’t match the consumer website, creating a disjointed experience when something went wrong.
Time-sensitive campaigns waited on developer availability before they could go out.
Without templates, keeping emails on brand required long review cycles.
The solution
Reusable navigation, hero, and footer modules in HubL, with editable fields for imagery and messaging.
Branded 404 and 500 pages and landing page templates built on shared theme files.
A drag-and-drop library of 20+ modules built for Malibu first, then adapted from those originals for Axis Wake, so both brands share one structure while keeping their own look.
Technical implementation
HubL template inheritance with global navigation, header, and footer modules.
The consumer site’s navigation and hero animations rebuilt in HubSpot across 5+ breakpoints.
Table-based layouts with progressive enhancement, tested in 15+ email clients including Outlook.
Text fields, color pickers, image uploaders, and toggles with sensible defaults and live preview.
The results
30 to 45 minutes
Down from 2 to 3 days when campaigns depended on developers.
3x
Faster builds let the team send more campaigns with fewer bottlenecks.
10 to 15 hours
Routine campaigns no longer need a developer, leaving time for strategic work.
On brand
Custom error pages keep the experience consistent and trustworthy for every visitor.
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