What Is a Marketing Funnel and Is It Still Relevant?
The marketing funnel is the model that maps a customer's journey from awareness through consideration to purchase. The classic version (AIDA — Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) was invented by St Elmo Lewis in 1898.
In 2026, the literal funnel is dead. The logic underneath it is more relevant than ever — just expressed differently.
Customer journeys are non-linear — buyers loop, skip steps, and re-enter at any point Touchpoints exploded — modern buyers see 30–60 brand touches before purchase Discovery is AI-mediated — ChatGPT often is the journey Attribution collapsed — last-click can't map a fragmented path B2B buying is committee-led — not individual
1. Looping engagement models — visualised as flywheels or messy middles, not funnels 2. Jobs-to-be-done frameworks — what is the customer trying to accomplish? 3. Cohort-based growth models — track behaviour by entry point and time 4. AI-mediated discovery maps — where is the brand cited in AI answers?
The principle that awareness must precede purchase The discipline of measuring drop-off between stages The strategic value of balancing top-funnel and bottom-funnel investment
1. Discovery: How do customers first encounter us? (organic, AI, paid, referral) 2. Decision: What do they read, watch, or hear before buying? (reviews, comparisons, demos) 3. Loyalty: What makes them come back? (product, service, community)
Map your business against those three. Allocate budget accordingly.
Read our pillar essay on the death of the funnel.