Is the Funnel Really Dead?

[azmi mhmed]

I recently came across this statement and wanted to get some thoughts from the marketing community here:

"Once at an otherwise amazing marketing conference, one of the keynote speakers proudly proclaimed that he hated funnels. He even said he hated people in the audience who liked them. The idea that the ‘funnel is dead’ or that the ‘funnel is irrelevant today’ has become increasingly popular in marketing circles. It is used to justify a greater focus on buyer sensitivity, buyer control, social selling, inbound-only marketing strategies, and more."

Do you think this is an accurate reflection of where marketing is headed? Is the traditional funnel really outdated, or does it still have a place alongside newer models?

Curious to hear what you all think!

 

[IM Dude]

It's not dead. It may be dead for him. You need paid traffic for a funnel. He might have lost lot of money. Paid traffic can horribly go wrong if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[timdavid01]

I recently came across this statement and wanted to get some thoughts from the marketing community here:


Do you think this is an accurate reflection of where marketing is headed? Is the traditional funnel really outdated, or does it still have a place alongside newer models?

Curious to hear what you all think!

Funnels aren’t dead—they’re evolving. The traditional linear funnel may not capture today’s complex buyer journeys, but the core idea of guiding prospects through stages still holds value. Modern marketing blends funnels with loops, flywheels, and customer-driven paths, emphasizing engagement, personalization, and non-linear decision-making. So, rather than scrapping the funnel, it’s about adapting it to today’s buyers.

 

[saratkumar]

No, never! I view funnels as a method of organizing strategies. It's true that many people don't understand them, and that's why they prefer not to use them

 

[Poilaucul]

Every guru that wants to sell his product will say the competing product is dead.

 

[BFW9000]

If you're a true internet marketer you don't take claims like this too seriously.

A good internet marketer always tests different things themselves to see what works in their niche with their offer.

 

[JoBlow]

If you're a copwriter, you should know that headlines that say "Bitcoin is dead". "AI is dead". "Funnels are dead". etc. that's just clickbait from someone who probably doesn't even believe what they're saying.

 

[Pure Mint]

It's not dead. It may be dead for him. You need paid traffic for a funnel. He might have lost lot of money. Paid traffic can horribly go wrong if you don't know what you are doing.

This. Saying sales funnels are dead is like saying cars don't work. Of course they do you have to know what you are doing. And execute accordingly