The Funnel Is Dead: Now What?

Why It Matters

The shift from funnel to flywheel reshapes how brands allocate spend, measure performance, and build lasting customer relationships, making it a strategic imperative for marketers across CPG and retail sectors.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional funnel replaced by omnichannel flywheel model.
• Upper and lower funnel creative require distinct strategies.
• Retail media partnerships unlock first‑party consumer data.
• Identity resolution drives repeat purchases in CPG categories.
• AI‑generated content demands a creativity moat for brand differentiation.

Pulse Analysis

For decades, marketers relied on the linear AIDA funnel—awareness, interest, desire, action—to map consumer behavior. In today’s hyper‑connected world, that model no longer reflects how shoppers discover, evaluate, and repurchase products. The Brandweek 2026 panel argued that the funnel has fractured into a series of touchpoints that loop back on themselves, giving rise to a flywheel approach where each interaction fuels the next. By treating acquisition, retention, and advocacy as a continuous cycle, brands can capture incremental momentum and reduce churn in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.

The discussion featured voices from SmartCommerce, Liquid Death, LYS Beauty, Kellanova, Sephora, and Argonaut, each illustrating how data‑driven creativity fuels the new flywheel. Jennifer Silverberg emphasized creator‑powered storefronts that blend social content with seamless checkout, while Benoit Vatere highlighted bold upper‑funnel storytelling paired with precise lower‑funnel retail‑media placements. Nicole Vinson outlined an identity‑resolution framework that stitches online signals to offline purchases, unlocking repeat‑buy loops for CPG brands. Candace Payne described Sephora’s retail‑media partnerships that harvest first‑party shopper data, and Beth Tripaldi warned that AI‑generated assets require a “creativity moat” to preserve brand equity.

Marketers who cling to funnel metrics risk misallocating budgets and missing growth opportunities. Embracing a flywheel mindset means investing in omnichannel measurement platforms, forging retail‑media alliances for first‑party data, and building identity graphs that enable personalized repeat‑purchase incentives. At the same time, the rise of generative AI forces brands to double down on human‑centric storytelling, ensuring that creative output remains differentiated and emotionally resonant. Companies that integrate these tactics can transform fragmented consumer journeys into a self‑reinforcing engine of acquisition, loyalty, and advocacy.