I’ve been thinking about the marketing funnel lately, the holy grail of marketing, a neat little diagram that’s supposed to explain how people move from “I just found you” to “take my money”.
The funnel is predictable and linear. And I think its days are numbered, if not, over.
The funnel was built for a time when attention could be directed, where people could be nudged step by step through awareness, interest, desire, and finally, action. The goal was always the same: trigger movement, trigger purchase.
Lately, I’ve noticed the way people move through the world now, especially online, doesn’t look like a funnel anymore. It looks more like a game.
Because in the age of AI, people don’t follow anymore. They interact.
It’s a Playground.
AI has fundamentally changed the way we engage with everything. We don’t read information anymore; we converse with it. Instead of scrolling in straight lines, we are like the little metal ball in the pinball machine, we hop, loop and *shudder in corporate* circle back.
Every click or question leads us somewhere new. That’s why the funnel feels so wrong now, because it assumes control. It assumes we can choreograph someone’s attention when really, we’re all improvising.
The New Design Challenge
So, if funnels are about direction, then the new age of digital experience is about designing interactions.
Think of it less like marketing and more like world-building.
Every touchpoint, your website, email or chatbot, is a space where someone might play, learn, test or talk. Instead of saying, “Click here to buy,” maybe it’s more like “What do you want to explore?”
Design thinking has never been more crucial. Rather than moving them down the funnel, our new aim should be more keep them in flow and meet them where they are at.
What This Means for Us
If you’ve built your business around funnels, your copy, your metrics, your strategy, this can sound terrifying. But it’s also incredibly freeing.
Because it means the pressure to force action gives way to something more human: create a connection. Your role isn’t to push people along anymore. It’s to create an environment they want to be in.
What this Looks Like
Creatives who always feel like their social media feed looks tacky and salesy, it’s your time to shine! Because we’re designing a brand environment, this can look like:
- a Substack where you pen thoughtful pieces (hello!)
- email newsletter with your take
- Reels and TikTok can be more emotive (check your brand’s emotional language)
- a mini pocket offer to test out your idea
- community meet-ups IRL
You’re designing a world worth staying in, and when they’re ready, they’ll act.
And here’s a thought I keep coming back to: if funnels are dying, what are we actually building for the people who find us? Are we designing experiences worth lingering in, or just paths worth scrolling past?
Or perhaps it’s simpler than that: the funnel is dead. The real question is: are you building a world people want to stay in.
This post was first published on Studio Hours, my personal Substack where I publish introspective essays about business, life and things that don’t quite fit in my professional work.
