Remember when marketing felt like a gentle slide down a funnel, from awareness to purchase, with hardly a bump along the way? Those were the days—like rotary phones and dial-up internet. If you’ve been following us for a while, you probably know that we love frameworks. But even we must admit: the traditional funnel might be so last century.
In today’s hyper-connected world, customers zigzag, loop back, and sometimes teleport (figuratively speaking) through touchpoints. The once-comforting linear funnel is creaking under the weight of infinite channels, empowered consumers, and on-demand information. So, is the marketing funnel dead? Let’s explore why it’s time to ditch the pipeline and embrace a nonlinear, experience-driven approach—preferably before it ghosts us entirely.
Why the Funnel Falls Short
- Too Linear for a Chaotic Journey
- The funnel assumes a straight path: Awareness → Consideration → Decision. Reality? Think more like a tangled spiderweb. Customers jump from social media ads to peer reviews to product demos and back again.
- Infinite Touchpoints
- From TikTok to podcasts, from chatbots to in-store AR experiences, today’s buyers encounter brands in countless ways. A static funnel can’t map all these interactions.
- Empowered Consumers
- According to Google’s “Messy Middle” research, buyers spend significant time exploring and evaluating before deciding—often outside of any neat stage-based model source: Google’s Messy Middle via A88Lab {{turn0search5}}.
- Data Overload, Insights Underutilized
- Brands collect mountains of data but often struggle to integrate insights across stages. The funnel treats stages in silos; modern marketing demands continuous feedback loops.
Enter the Loop, the Flywheel, and Other Alternatives
1. The Marketing Loop
As Bloom’s team puts it, the Marketing Loop flips the funnel into a circle of ongoing engagement: attract, engage, convert, and delight—over and over. [Source: Bloom]
- Customer-Centric: Two-way conversations, not one-way broadcasts.
- Flexible: Adapt as customers re-enter at any point.
- Data-Driven: Every interaction feeds the next.
2. The Flywheel Model
Popularized by HubSpot, this model puts the customer firmly at the center. Instead of a top-down funnel, think of a spinning flywheel gaining momentum. The stages are typically Attract, Engage, and Delight. Happy customers (Delight) feed back into the cycle by driving referrals and repeat sales (Attract and Engage), creating continuous momentum. The focus shifts from simply squeezing out conversions to building relationships and reducing friction at every stage. Your happy customers aren’t an output; they’re fuel.
3. The Customer Decision Journey (CDJ)
McKinsey & Company proposed The CDJ, viewing the journey as more of a circular loop. Key phases include Initial Consideration (becoming aware of options), Active Evaluation (researching and comparing), Closure (the purchase moment), and crucially, the Post-Purchase Experience. A positive post-purchase experience feeds into a Loyalty Loop, where satisfied customers bypass much of the evaluation process for future purchases and become advocates. This model explicitly acknowledges the non-linear path and the immense importance of what happens after the sale.
4. The Spiderweb Model
Imagine a web where each node is a touchpoint—content, ads, reviews, events—and threads represent possible paths. This model highlights the chaotic yet connected nature of journeys, emphasizing adaptability.
These models aren’t necessarily replacing the need to guide customers, but they reshape how we think about it. It’s less about forcing people down a predetermined path and more about being present, helpful, and consistent wherever they are in their (often unpredictable) journey.
What Comes Next: Experience-Driven Marketing
Obsess Over Customer Experience (CX)
If the journey isn’t linear, every touchpoint matters. From your website’s load speed to your social media replies to your returns process – it all contributes to the overall perception and the likelihood of progression and loyalty.
Omnichannel Orchestration
Coordinate messaging across channels. Use unified data platforms to ensure the right message at the right time—whether the customer is on Instagram or the checkout page. Your brand voice, messaging, and support need to be consistent whether they’re on your app, website, social media, or talking to a chatbot. A disjointed experience creates friction, slowing that flywheel or breaking the loyalty loop.
Get Personal (Like We Talked About!)
Generic messaging falls flat. Use data to understand customer behavior and preferences, allowing you to tailor content, offers, and experiences. This makes interactions relevant and valuable, regardless of where someone is in their ‘journey’.
Content Ecosystems
Instead of linear campaigns, build interconnected content hubs: blogs, videos, webinars, and interactive tools that feed each other. Valuable content isn’t just for the ‘Awareness’ stage anymore. Think tutorials for existing customers, community forums, exclusive content for loyalists – provide value throughout the entire lifecycle.
Continuous Feedback Loops
Embed surveys, social listening, and behavioral analytics at every touchpoint. Iterate campaigns based on what truly resonates. Ditch the assumptions. Use analytics to understand how your customers actually navigate their path to purchase and beyond. Where do they drop off? What content resonates? What channels do they prefer? Let the data guide your strategy, not a century-old diagram.
Emotional Connection
In a sea of choices, brands that spark genuine emotions—through storytelling, community-building, or social impact—win loyalty beyond a single purchase. Foster community and advocacy: Turn customers into fans, and fans into advocates. Encourage reviews, build communities, create referral programs. Leverage the momentum of happy customers – they’re your most believable marketers.
Action Steps for Agencies and Brands
- Audit Your Journey Map: Identify all touchpoints. Are there gaps or silos? Use journey-mapping tools to visualize the messy reality.
- Adopt a Loop Mindset: Plan for post-purchase engagement. Loyalty programs, user-generated content, and referral incentives keep the loop spinning.
- Invest in Technology: CDPs, marketing automation, and AI-driven personalization aren’t luxuries; they’re essentials.
- Train for Agility: Empower teams to pivot quickly—test new channels, optimize in real time, and embrace experimentation.
- Measure What Matters: Move beyond last-click attribution. Track engagement, sentiment, and lifetime value to gauge true impact.
Final Thoughts
The marketing funnel isn’t technically dead—it’s more like it’s been invited to the retirement home. Today’s customer journey is a dynamic, looping, spiderwebbed adventure. Brands that cling to linear models risk missing the plot (and the sale). The future belongs to those who design for nonlinear experiences: loops, webs, and beyond.
Ready to evolve your marketing strategy? We help brands ditch the old pipeline and craft experience-driven journeys that delight and convert. Get in touch to get started!