The strongest marketing leaders are not the ones with perfect plans. They are the ones who know how to lead through real life.
And few people understand that better than Niki Hall and Dayle Hall.
Niki, former CMO of Five9, and Dayle, CMO of SnapLogic, join Marketing Trends to share how they balance two big careers, raise a family, and approach marketing from completely different angles.
They break down how they support each other through major job shifts, navigate brand versus demand debates, and build teams that can adapt to rapid change. They also explain how AI is reshaping customer experience, what metrics actually matter, and why modern leaders need both operational rigor and creative courage.
Key Moments:
00:00 Meeting the CMO Couple
02:23 How They Met at Cisco
05:08 Early Career Moments That Shaped Them
08:16 When Their Marketing Paths Split
10:11 Growing Up as Marketers Inside Cisco
12:00 Balancing Two Big Careers and a Family
13:40 The Realities of Career Timing and Tradeoffs
15:56 Parenting, Travel, and Real-Life Leadership
18:15 Why Community Matters for Working Parents
20:38 Helping the Next Generation of Leaders
23:20 Marketing in 2026 and the Impact of AI
24:43 Brand vs Demand and How They Debate It
31:17 What They Learned From Each Other’s Strengths
32:00 Org Design and Building a Modern Marketing Team
51:03 Career Pivots, Pressure, and Personal Growth
1:12:54 Lightning Round and Final Takeaways