It’s time to reinvent the wheel (or funnel)
Marketers need to move with the times

If you’ve worked in marketing or sales for any amount of time, you’ll be familiar with the sales funnel. Also known as AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action), it’s the mothership of all buyer journeys and Holy Grail for many marketers today. Created by advertising author, Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898, according to this inverted triangle, buyers follow a linear path – only becoming aware of your brand at the start of the buying processes before filtering their way through the levels to purchase. 

Sounds easy, right? 

Well, sadly not. In 2025, today’s buy process twists and turns, and B2B marketers need to play the long game to get to purchase. 

The first major flaw with the AIDA funnel is that if you follow this approach, you’re only ever marketing to those in the market to buy – that’s just 5%¹ of the opportunity. The other 95%¹ of your future buyers are still waiting to be nurtured. They may not be ready to invest in your product for weeks, months or even years, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to neglect them.

Investing in bold and creative marketing gets brands into the heads of would-be buyers, putting them in the running when their audience moves from that 95% to 5% market. 

Secondly, AIDA is 126 years old.

Today’s buyers have changed A LOT since 1898 and want to be left alone, independently self-serving digital content until they’re ready to engage with a brand. In fact, 89%² of B2B buyers download and consume assets they find themselves and spend 70%³ of their buying journey doing their own research.

This means they’ve usually already shortlisted a brand, product or solution by the time they’re three-quarters of the way through their journey.

And the ‘buyer’ in most instances isn’t just one person. For every buyer targeted, six to ten⁴ stakeholders will be involved in that B2B buying process, spanning operations, legal, finance and leadership. Each will have their own opinion, business priority and interest in what the outcome should be.

Brands must therefore be prepared to influence a whole multitude of ‘invisible buyers’ that will be key decision-makers in the process. This group-buying dynamic, coupled with the self-research phases means that today’s B2B tech buying journey typically lasts an extensive 31 weeks.⁵

So, what does this all mean for B2B marketers? Well, today’s buying process isn’t linear or a funnel – and brands that stick to this approach will fall short on ROI. It is, in fact, a series on considerations points that stakeholders go through to shortlist their options.

Found these insights interesting? Then hear our Chief Strategy Officer, Ali Dodd, and Chief Digital Officer, Chris Scott, discuss the new customer buying journey on the B2B Marketing podcast.

Revere insights | The 'new' buyer journey podcast

References for wider reading:

1. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute
2. Demand Gen Report
3. 6Sense
4. Bain & Company
5. ANA Masters