112 - Is The Marketing Funnel Dead?

Zac: 68% of marketers say the funnel no longer reflects how buyers actually move through their journey. And today we're going to discuss: is the marketing funnel dead? Good to see you, Rich.

Rich: Yeah, good to see you too. I think that like, yeah, has it hit a breaking point? Have we blown up the funnel? Um, if we have, then what's in place of it? And if we haven't, then, you know, why not? Like, why is it still relevant? Why is it still valid?

Zac: And how has it evolved too — like, what's changed if it is dead?

Rich: Yeah, I mean, because people change, right? That's the biggest issue. When you have a system that you use to market to people or to reach people or your sales process — people change. That’s why we don't have door-to-door salesmen bringing us vacuums anymore. Because it doesn't work. They’re still trying it with other stuff like gutter cleaning and window replacement. I'm like, whatever. Like, no, go away. Leave me alone. All right, so we're gonna tackle that question — is it dead, and why or why not? But before that, I think we've got another fall drink.

Zac: Yeah, this one's fun. It's a caramel apple martini. It was created by the Pioneer Woman. So I'm definitely outsourcing recipes from different places.

Rich: You're still on the Food Network kick.

Zac: Honestly, I like how they have multiple servings for these because a lot of cocktails I looked at before were single servings. This one serves two. It combines fresh apple cider, caramel sauce, vodka, and butterscotch schnapps. So it's got that buttery caramel flavor. And I don't know about you, but I love caramel apple flavored stuff. It’s that nice, sweet, smooth caramel flavor with that little pop from the apple. I just like the idea of this one a lot.

Rich: Yeah, I think it throws back to being a kid, right? Because we had caramel apples — and lost teeth in our caramel apples — back in the day. My guess is if this makes two servings, Ree was probably either making it for one of her daughters who was in town, or more likely she was making it for her good friend Hyacinth. If you do watch The Pioneer Woman, she and Hyacinth have cocktail afternoons sometimes while the men are out herding cattle and stuff.

All right, so you're gonna need some caramel sauce for rimming the glasses. I’d get a really good caramel — not a super fake one. There are some really nice ones out there; you could probably find some at your farmer's market this time of year. You're gonna need ice for the shaker, four ounces of apple cider (not vinegar — those are very different things!), three ounces of vodka, two ounces of butterscotch schnapps, and a sliced apple for garnish.

If you don't have an apple slicer, go get one — they're really handy. Just hoop and you've sliced your apples. Chill your martini glasses in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Dip the rims in caramel sauce, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add the apple cider, vodka, and butterscotch schnapps. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds and strain into your prepared martini glasses. Garnish with apple slices if desired.

Zac: I’m thinking — after you put the caramel on the edge of the glass, what’s a dry powder you could put on that would taste good?

Rich: Oh, that’s a good question. Maybe cinnamon? A caramel-cinnamon rim?

Zac: Well, actually, nutmeg would be way overwhelming.

Rich: Yeah, nutmeg might be good in moderation to give it some balance. So yeah, that’s good. And since this makes two servings — you could easily scale it up for a party. You could even stir it in a pitcher instead of shaking.

Zac: Yeah, that’s a fun one. When you were saying caramel apples as a kid, I was also thinking of the caramel apple suckers that broke your teeth — 90% caramel and then a little green apple flavor. Maybe you could crush those and put them on the rim, but I don't think they crush easily.

Rich: Some sort of green apple crush on the rim would be interesting. Like green apple Jolly Ranchers — you could crush those.

Zac: Now you're talking. That sounds pretty good, honestly.

Rich: Yeah, I think we've spun this around. So thank you, Ree Drummond, in Oklahoma — The Pioneer Woman — who I used to watch all the time. We don’t have Food Network anymore; we got rid of Sling because we were just watching like three things. We can just get them the next day on Peacock or wherever. That used to be our Sundays — we’d just watch all the food shows, print recipes, go grocery shopping, and eat that stuff that week.

All right, so we can get into the funnel.

Zac: So, the marketing funnel is a linear path, right? You become aware of something, you consider options, and then you decide and purchase. It’s very linear — awareness, consideration, decision. Statistically, only about a quarter of people in B2B follow a linear path from awareness to purchase.

Rich: Yeah, and probably less than that in B2C because there are so many ways to become aware of and research things. So what do you do about it? What does HubSpot say we do about it?

Zac: HubSpot doesn’t recommend a funnel — they recommend a flywheel. Marketers who adopt a flywheel or ecosystem-based model see a 32% increase in customer retention and advocacy.

Rich: Right. So the funnel stops at purchase, but the flywheel continues. And just for background — a flywheel is a mechanical tool that uses inertia. Once you get it spinning, it’s easier to keep it going. That’s where the metaphor comes from — like a merry-go-round. Once it’s moving, you can keep it going with less effort.

Zac: For those that don’t know, the original funnel stages are awareness, consideration, and decision — that’s how buyers are said to move through purchase decisions. Our first point covers why buyer behavior has outgrown the funnel.

Rich: Because we don’t do it in a linear fashion anymore.

Zac: Exactly. Modern buyer journeys are non-linear. People jump in and out at different stages, often doing their own research. Like I mentioned in our B2B trends episode — buyers already have a list of companies they want to work with. If you’re not on that list, you’re out.

Rich: And we have more tools now. I can go to Google or ChatGPT and ask for the five best anything, and I’ll get a list instantly. No marketer had a chance to influence me directly — unless they’d already built the content I find. And sometimes I skip straight to decision stage. Like, a friend once sent me a link for a chicken shredder. I clicked and bought it immediately — no awareness or research stage at all.

Zac: I’m the same way. If a friend recommends something, I’m likely to buy it. I also look on Reddit for reviews or product comparisons. And on social media, people reviewing products in video form builds trust in a different way. The rigid funnel doesn’t really fit that anymore.

Rich: No, because awareness used to be the hardest part. Now we’re bombarded with awareness all the time. Brand experience, peer trust, and community recommendations matter more.

Zac: Exactly. The funnel isn’t useless — it’s just incomplete. It still gives teams structure and a shared language, but it needs flexibility. You have to adapt it to how your customers actually move and make decisions.

Rich: And now we have disruptive advertising — new brands using digital ads to build awareness instantly. They can skip the long awareness stage and move right into engagement. Brand-building happens alongside selling.

Zac: The biggest reason people say the funnel is dead is because they treat it like a one-size-fits-all model. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Nothing in marketing is one-size-fits-all — strategies have to adapt to buyer behavior.

Rich: Totally. And HubSpot’s new Loop Marketing model — rolled out at INBOUND — speaks to that. It doesn’t replace the funnel or the flywheel but focuses on the content you present during each stage. It emphasizes personalized messaging based on what you know about each customer.

Zac: Exactly. The flywheel model is attract, engage, delight — and it circles around growth. Basically, you’re continuously creating momentum to grow your customer base.

Rich: And “attract” is more than awareness — it’s about being relevant. The flywheel also treats marketing as a two-way conversation, not just brand-to-consumer.

Zac: And it’s more flexible, which is key. Flexible funnels and flywheels adapt to multi-touch journeys and integrate better with community and trust-building. That’s my biggest takeaway: the funnel isn’t dead, but rigid thinking about it is.

Rich: Yeah. We still use “top of funnel,” “middle of funnel,” and “bottom of funnel,” but in the flywheel, prospects can spend as long as they want in each phase. Marketing automation allows you to nurture them at their own pace. And that last stage — “delight” — is where the funnel traditionally drops off.

Zac: Right. Delight is huge. It’s about turning customers into advocates, not just completing a transaction.

Rich: Exactly. The sale isn’t the end of the relationship. Even if it’s a one-and-done purchase, you want them to have a great experience so they’ll recommend you. That’s where awareness now often starts — through happy customers.

Zac: Yeah, for sure. I think we covered that pretty well. My main takeaway is to stay flexible — and Loop Marketing is definitely something worth exploring. HubSpot even has a playbook on it.

Rich: Yeah, and we’ll probably make an episode about it. I’d love to get someone who thinks Loop Marketing is BS and debate it. But I don’t know how anyone could argue that personalized content doesn’t outperform generic content — it just does.

Zac: I think some people are just confused about how it fits into the funnel. So doing an episode on that would be great.

Rich: Totally. The key is that all these models — funnel, flywheel, loop — can work together. Just stay flexible and adapt before you get left behind. Funnel’s not dead; it just needs to evolve.

Zac: 100%. Sounds good. There’ll be another episode next week — who knows what it is.

Rich: As always, you can find our agency at antidote71.com and all our socials there as well. If you have a question you'd like to send our way, head to ctapodcast — your question might make it into a future episode.

Zac: And we know the phone number works because we’re getting spam calls. So if you’re calling and just breathing and hanging up — leave a question next time!

Rich: Sounds great. See you next week.

Zac: See you next week.