As I've been analyzing Google's fascinating report, "Decoding Decisions: Making sense of the messy middle," I've uncovered some game-changing insights about modern marketing and sales in this AI era that I want to share with you.
Let me be clear: that traditional marketing funnel we've all used for years (Attention-Interest-Consideration-Purchase) is essentially obsolete. It simply doesn't capture how consumers shop today. While getting attention (top of funnel) and making the sale (bottom of funnel) remain relatively straightforward concepts, everything in between has become what Google aptly calls "the messy middle."
The Chaos of Modern Decision-Making
Here's what I've found most revealing: today's buying process isn't linear at all—it's an infinite loop where customers bounce back and forth between exploration and evaluation. The traditional funnel model no longer works because while the top and bottom remain relatively unchanged, the middle section has become incredibly complex.
