funnel-ly enough
AN EVENTFUL EXERCISE ON MARKETING & AWARENESS
Pause for a moment and consider the last time you were made “aware” of a product you now love. Was it through an IG ad? Did a friend tell you about it over brunch? Maybe a co-worker came in with it and you couldn’t stop yourself from asking about it… or a character in a movie used it and you felt like you wanted to be a part of that for even a moment. It’s sometimes difficult to remember, but others can be like a light-switch turning on. “Oh, I got really into this when _____.” It’s those moments that EVERY marketing agency/partner is yearning to hear about. And what drives a marketing approach better than… the marketing funnel.
Take a quick Google Search if you haven’t seen the tried-and-true, traditional image of the eternal “marketing funnel”. It’s likely not news to you, but if it is - one glance at it and you’re probably telling yourself you already knew this. Something like this funnel is in the onboarding process of most every sales/accounts job for the last 50 years.
This is the most linear way to think about how your idea, brand, movie, book, sunscreen, CBD beverage, ergonomic chair and so on will arrive at what matters most: the purchase. The funnel is the clearest way to take what is generally the widest net you can fathom, and narrow your sights on how to impact those who will truly want or need what you have to offer. Some are built with different layers, but the song remains the same - we all want to know the best and in these days - most efficient - way to market our… thing.
In reference to the funnel, let’s consider a specific route - experiential marketing. The funnel can be followed to an extent, but it is less about the “services one provides” as it is “can you understand what story I’m trying to tell with my brand?” It’s another one of those elements of the marketing industry that makes perfect sense once someone distills it down to the barest of essentials. So let’s try.
Think about how the stage is set for marketing to occur in the physical AND digital age. We all use phones, iPads, computers in our personal and professional lives… so digital awareness has been part of the conversation for going on three decades now with it evolving into an insane (and ever so confusing!) competitive landscape. Physical awareness is the original space for marketing. Billboards, movie posters, album art, mailers, storefront logos. Hell, even Yard Sale signs are following the first step of the funnel!
From there, the interest/consideration phases of the funnel begin, leading into the evaluation of purchasing. Taking that action. And what used to be a final piece of the funnel, has now added brand loyalty to the tipping point. This is when your first purchase is followed by tagging them on social media, or showing it to your family, or grabbing a T-shirt with their name on it. You are now considered a prominent feature of the “awareness” piece on behalf of your new favorite product!
The funnel works. It's varied and has different elements that can comprise a flow that’s new for a specific product or brand, but ultimately it’s a roadmap to success if you take the time to understand what each level entails and requests from you.
So where do things like events, activations and experiences sit in the funnel? In most examples, it’s right at the wide-rimmed top in the Awareness ring. But just because it’s an example online from some website we’ve never visited, are we dismissing the possibility of its potential to rush people from the top to the bottom? Are they just too expensive with no measurable KPI or ROI?
Have I lost you?
Exposure and awareness being the top of the funnel is a blessing and a curse. It means that people value less expensive, “get rich quick” methods of showcasing what they have to offer, or they’re taking notes from fellow brands now telling success stories for other similar competitors to follow in their jet stream. But, it can also mean that a student of the funnel will maximize their investment on something that will impact a select group of people versus hope for exposure with the entire world. Gotta pick a lane - can’t drive across the highway.
To activate your brand is more than just “having a space at a festival” or “popping up in a high-traffic area.” Think about the word “activation.” It can be flippantly tossed about in conversations, but it cannot be understated what that word entails. It is making the theoretical, practical. It is combining ideology with sociology. It is embodying your brand, not just placing it on a shelf hoping the packaging gets it bought. It’s looking someone in the eyes and telling them, “I really think you’re gonna like this, and I’m willing to put money on it.”
When we step into the space that a brand/company is holding for an activation or experience, we have immediately gone to the next phase of a funnel - interest. Plainly stated, it’s the closest one gets to getting a sale before they head to the proverbial “store.” If a brand’s story is on display, such as a CHOMPS car wash or Jimmy Johns’ Cafe Jé Jé, it is at this point we’ve seen their willingness to surpass being another brand on a shelf we’ll just compare and contrast to others. It is more than a chance to tell a story of the past. It is an invitation to help compose the brand’s story NOW. TODAY. RIGHT HERE. It will not stop with a scroll or a click and be measured on dashboards. Its allure and magnetism is in the five senses - a literal impression will be made. This is not a possibility with an Instagram ad or a poster. It even surpasses a storefront because unlike that space, this is not permanent. This is a chapter of the book, and you’ve been invited to write a few sentences.
The pace at which an activation attendee can experience every phase of the funnel in such a small amount of time is astounding. User-generated content is a major element of the next stage of the funnel - consideration. If you’re already aware and interested, you may be intent on purchasing after you see your favorite celebrity or athlete also loves that thing you’ve been meaning to buy. Your friends posting from inside the activation may spawn a quick text - “oh my god where is this??” In 2026, if we’re not calling FOMO a KPI, we’re behind the curve. There stands to reason a measurement of success that isn’t tied to a spreadsheet or deck. How experiential differs can seem ambiguous, but a major benefit is it doesn’t rely on hope. You know the kind… the desperate hoping for the right bid or keyword on digital ads, or praying the placement of a poster or billboard will yield immeasurable amounts of traffic.
Every person who creates a product does so with intention to share it with the world. The world that we live in when that product is created versus the one we live in when it finally reaches us is undoubtedly different, so we cannot be expected to be held to yesterday’s success. Events, activations, experiences… these are existing in the breathing, revolving, fluid NOW. They beg for the best iteration of a brand or product to be breathing with humans, interacting with their hands, experiencing with their minds.
It’s impossible for me to state one way or the other through the funnel is the best case scenario and a moneymaker guarantee. I would be remiss to say this piece is defining such a claim. But I’ve come from a decade of digital marketing work, into an experiential sphere where it’s so considerate of the human element… I’ve reached a clarity that the funnel works, as long as you’re seeing it as a function of your own success - not others’. Differing opinions are all valid, but here’s my last note. Take a look at your favorite brand, and see how they’re activating around the world. See the people embracing it, the colors living within the realm of the sky, trees and buildings around it. See the content evolving beyond the brand’s capability. Feel the music pulsing through the space despite not having been there. If you’re not seeing anything like this, you’ve found a piece of their puzzle that is missing. And what a day it will be when they do find it. I hope to see you there.