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This article was inspired by a fantastic talk I saw by Ryan Levesque, talking about how to Zag when the world Zigs. And he discussed his 4 forces affecting significant change in marketing article. I have built upon his words to add some advice and relevance to our readers, but the credit for these insights belongs firmly at Ryans feet. 🙏
Are you still using traditional funnel models?
You might want to rethink that.
Whilst you weren't looking, They’ve been undergoing a profound transformation.
What once guided consumers neatly from Awareness to Action, now looks more like a tangle of missed clicks, mixed signals, and mistrust.
Some brands haven’t noticed. Still ushering people through funnel stages like it’s 2013.
But understanding these shifts isn’t just important — it’s a good way to pull ahead while others are still clinging to what used to work.
If you’re still planning campaigns around tidy stages and predictable paths, this is your nudge to stop.
The Silent Revolution in Search Behaviour
You finally get your site to rank on page 1. You’ve tuned your copy to search intent. You’ve got the schema markup. Job done?
Not necessarily.
That’s because around 65% of Google searches end without anyone clicking anything. The answer’s right there in the search result. Lifted from your site. Displayed by Google. No need to visit you at all. Thanks for playing.
"Zero-click searches" represent one of the most significant yet underreported shifts in consumer behaviour.
The AI Acceleration
Large Language Models (LLMs) like those powering generative AI tools have accelerated this trend. As search engines incorporate more sophisticated AI capabilities, they become increasingly proficient at extracting and presenting information without directing users to source websites.
The Migration to Paid Media
This shift has pushed marketers toward paid media channels en masse, creating a classic supply-and-demand imbalance. More competition for the same ad inventory has predictably driven up costs across platforms:
Cost-per-click increases of 15-25% year-over-year across major platforms
CPM (cost per thousand impressions) rates climbing by similar margins
Customer acquisition costs (CAC) reaching unsustainable levels for many businesses
Your competition? Same move.
Everyone’s spending more. Everyone’s getting less.
What to Do Instead:
Position Zero Optimisation: Write content for featured snippets, not just readers. That’s “Position Zero”.
Brand Query Cultivation: Make people search for your brand name — not just a topic.
Value-Add Content: Create content that’s too rich to summarise in a line.
Diversified Traffic Sources: Stop over-relying on SEO. Build direct channels. Own your audience.
The Desktop's Long Goodbye. Long Live the Thumb.
(To appease my Technical Dir, I will concede that this one is more applicable to B2C, than B2B, but B2B isn't the laggard it used to be, so it's not far behind)
Some stats to make your dev team cry:
98%+ of Facebook traffic is mobile
90%+ of YouTube views are mobile
60%+ of all internet traffic is mobile—and growing
Mobile Isn’t Just Smaller. It’s Different.
Responsive design is table stakes. The real win is rethinking how people use your site on the move.
Micro-moments. Single-handed navigation. Speed. Simplicity. All require fundamentally rethinking content formats, interaction patterns, and conversion paths for thumb-driven interfaces and on-the-go consumption.
Time to Design for Real Life:
Mobile-First Design Philosophy: It really is time to start with mobile, then scale up. Not the other way round.
Thumb Zone Optimisation: Put buttons where thumbs live.
Micro-Moment Mapping: Map real mobile use cases—bored on the train, comparing prices in-store, panic-Googling at 11pm
Friction Audit: Audit your mobile journey for friction. Then kill it.
Platforms Are Hoarding the Data
A high-stakes battle is underway among tech giants. Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, they're increasingly withholding third-party data from each other — and consequently, from marketers.
What began as privacy-focused initiatives has evolved into strategic competition.
They’re not protecting privacy. They’re protecting their business models.
Each one wants to own the customer relationship — and you’re left guessing.
Targeting Is Getting Worse
Contrary to promises of AI-enhanced targeting, the fragmentation of data has actually reduced targeting accuracy. Platforms encourage brands to "trust the algorithm" while providing less transparency into audience composition and performance drivers.
Less signal. More noise.
The Rise of Zero-Party Data
What is valuable now?
Zero-party data — information intentionally shared directly by consumers. Unlike third-party data (collected by others) or even first-party data (observed behaviour on your properties), zero-party data represents explicit preferences and intentions.
It’s clear, useful, and owned by you. And most brands are barely collecting it.
Time to Rebuild Trust:
Value Exchange Programs: Give people a reason to tell you what they want.
Preference Centres: Set up preference management systems — that actually work.
Interactive Content: Deploy quizzes, configurators, and assessments that generate insights.
Community-Sourced Intelligence: Foster environments where customers willingly choose to share.
The Middle of the Funnel (MoFu) Has Collapsed
Google's landmark 98-page "Messy Middle" study revealed a profound truth: That polite handover from awareness to consideration? Gone.
Today’s buyer shows up halfway down the process. Already informed. Already evaluating options.
They’ve done their own research. Mostly without you.
Lead Magnets Are Losing Power
Traditional lead magnets — those gated resources exchanged for contact information — are seeing declining conversion rates. Fewer people want it. Even fewer want to trade their email for basic information they expect to find freely available.
They expect value upfront. No gates. No nurture sequences. Just proof you’re worth listening to.
What to Do Instead:
Content Atomisation: Slice your big content into snackable, native-first pieces.
In-Channel Value Delivery: Deliver actual value on platform, not behind a form.
Progressive Engagement: Design sequential content experiences. Think in layers. Each bit of content should lead somewhere deeper.
Community-First Approach: Focus on building a following, not a funnel.
It’s Not a Funnel. It’s an Ecosystem.
The old funnel assumed a straight line.
From interest to action. From one stage to the next.
But attention isn’t linear. Trust takes time.
And no one has time anymore.
The smart brands aren’t forcing journeys. They’re creating ecosystems people want to be part of. Places where people can come in from any angle, explore at their own pace, and still find value.
The Brand as Utility
Your brand needs to be useful. Before, during, and after the sale.
Something people return to. Reference. Rely on.
Don’t just be a campaign. Be useful. Be bookmark-worthy.
Deliver value whether someone buys today or six months from now.
Rethink Measurement
Your funnel metrics are probably lying to you.
Try measuring these instead:
Zero-click impressions and brand searches
Mid-funnel dwell time and return visits
Volume and quality of zero-party data
Mobile conversion paths, not desktop vanity metrics
Final Thought: Evolve or Fade
The funnel hasn’t disappeared.
It’s just shape-shifted beyond recognition.
You can keep nudging people through legacy paths and hoping it works.
Or you can start designing for the way people actually buy, click, scroll, and think.
The brands that win from here, won't be the loudest or those with the largest budgets.
They’ll be the most human ones that; adapt quickly, build trust early, and give people a reason to come back.
Written on a cracked screen with 4% battery and one bar of signal — just like your next customer.
