When the Ice Melts, CMOs Huddle: 7 Moves Every CMO Should Make in 2026

Positioning isn’t a messaging exercise. It’s a business-defining decision. As Bob Wright of Firebrick reminded attendees: “You know you’ve nailed your positioning when the CEO shows up and the CRO repeats it.”

Kevin Ruane of Precisely shared how his team escaped “category sameness” by working with Firebrick to reshape their narrative: “We stopped trying to sound smart and started sounding like ourselves.”

Takeaway: Before you build your 2026 plan, revalidate your “why we win.” It will sharpen your strategy and amplify your team’s execution.

SEO as we knew it is melting. Enter AEO: Answer Engine Optimization. Guy Yalif of Webflow didn’t mince words: “If your site doesn’t answer buyer questions clearly, AI engines will skip you.”

With LLMs transforming how content is consumed and ranked, it’s time to shift from keyword stuffing to structuring content for clarity, authority, and schema-based retrieval.

As I said during the Super Huddle, “You’re not optimizing for bots anymore. You’re optimizing for GPT.”

Takeaway: Make AEO a priority project in Q1. Your pipeline will thank you.

Boomerang helped Sift uncover 3,000 previously invisible champions—people actively selling internally on their behalf. That’s not a feature—it’s a competitive advantage.

• “Champion tracking is no longer optional. It’s the difference between stuck deals and surprise wins.” —Shankar Ganapathy, Boomerang
• “In just weeks, Boomerang surfaced new decision-makers we didn’t know existed.” —Armen Najarian, Sift

Takeaway: You can’t move enterprise deals without internal champions. Use AI to find them, track them, and arm them.

During our fireside chat, Udi Ledergor of Gong delivered one of the stickiest lines of the event: “Skills can be taught. Energy is everything.”

He’s right. The most impactful CMOs hire for curiosity, courage, and character—not just resumes. Especially as teams are stretched, leaner, and increasingly AI-augmented, human energy becomes your brand’s battery pack.

Also from Udi:

• Ignore the competition.
• Fund experiments.
• Market courageously.

Takeaway: Hire people who make the room buzz, not just the spreadsheet sing.

HG Insights is building the kind of platform every modern CMO needs:

One that blends first-party data, intent signals, and AI to enable precise targeting. With acquisitions like TrustRadius and MadKudu, their GTM intelligence is next-level.

• “It’s no longer about guessing who to go after. It’s about knowing who’s ready and why.” —Rohini Kasturi, CEO of HG Insights
• “This platform has helped us prioritize accounts based on actual buying behavior.” —Shekar Hariharan, SVP, Marketing 

Takeaway: Stop renting random intent data. Build or buy a unified GTM engine fueled by reality, not assumptions.

One of the most inspiring Super Huddle stories came from Denise Persson (CMO) and Chris Degnan (former CRO) of Snowflake.

• “We don’t do MQLs. We do outcomes.” —Denise Persson
•  “When I surfaced a problem, she acted. Never defensive, always accountable.” —Chris Degnan

Their alignment drove one of the most successful GTM motions in B2B—spanning 9 years, 3 CEOs, and a journey from startup to IPO.

Takeaway: Alignment isn’t a meeting. It’s a mindset. Start co-building plans, co-owning metrics, and co-presenting to the board.

If you’re still reading, you’re now 7 moves closer to a smarter, more courageous, more effective 2026.

Want help applying these ideas inside your org? Join CMO Huddles. We’re not just surviving—we’re thriving together.

Until next month,
Stay bold. Stay curious. Stay flocking awesome.

Best,

Drew Neisser
Founder & Penguin-in-Chief, CMO Huddles