Forget Funnels Think Loops

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In this newsletter, you’ll find:

🎬 Forget Funnels Think Loops: How to Replace Linear Journeys with Loops of Emotional Recall

📱 Gen Z Isn’t Googling—They’re Searching Social

🏆 Ad of the Day

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🎬 Forget Funnels Think Loops: How to Replace Linear Journeys with Loops of Emotional Recall

The funnel is outdated. It assumes people move in steps—awareness to interest to decision. But DTC buyers don’t behave that way. They zigzag, backtrack, and get influenced by moments—not stages.

Smart brands don’t push users down a path. They drop scenes into memory—emotionally-charged, self-contained moments that replay later when it’s time to buy.

🧠 Why Funnels Fail and Scenes Stick

Real purchase decisions aren’t linear—they’re episodic. A product seen in a TikTok scroll. A headline remembered days later. A sound, a slogan, a feeling. These fragments don’t need order—they need emotional stickiness.

When Feastables moved from polished promo to raw, character-led TikToks, they saw a 42% lift in branded search and 3.1x higher ad recall—because the moments weren’t steps. They were scenes.

How to Build a Scene-Based Creative Strategy

1. Design Ads as Standalone Scenes

Treat each ad like a movie scene: evoke a single emotion, make a visual imprint, and don’t rely on what came before or after.

• Think: “relatable pain” or “unexpected delight” → not “step 2 in the funnel.”

• Some scenes convert. Others plant the seed.

 2. Trigger Emotional Replay

Memory is built on emotion + contrast. Sequence visuals to disrupt autopilot: an unexpected line, a sudden color change, a moment of silence.

Use tools like Neurons to test which moments anchor memory. Get Neurons & Start Improving Your Ads Today!

3. Create a Cast, Not Just a Product

Brand recall compounds when users see the same character, motif, or voice across creatives.

• Think: Liquid Death’s grim reaper, Duolingo’s owl, or Olipop’s vibrant retro aesthetic.

• These aren’t just ads—they’re brand memory anchors.

4. Build Scene-to-Scene Recall Loops

Your PDP should echo your TikTok. Your email should reflect your Meta carousel.

Scene-linking multiplies recognition and builds trust through subconscious recall.

Brands using character-driven omnichannel creative saw up to 63% stronger aided recall in a recent Meta Brand Lift study.

Funnels are for logic. Scenes are for memory. And people buy from what they remember—especially when it feels like it’s been with them all along.

Start creating moments that stick, not journeys that assume.

📱 Gen Z Isn’t Googling—They’re Searching Social
Insights from SEL

Gen Z is rewriting the rules of search. Instead of turning to Google, they’re heading to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, and Discord for everything from product reviews to how-to guides. For brands and marketers, visibility now means showing up in the platforms Gen Z actually uses.

The Breakdown:

• Social Search is Surging - Google usage is down 25% among Gen Z compared to Gen X (Forbes, 2024), and 46% of Gen Z prefer searching via social platforms over traditional engines (eMarketer). They’re not just browsing—they’re actively discovering, evaluating, and deciding—all without leaving TikTok or Reddit.
• Faster, Visual Results Win  - Raised on short-form video and visual content, Gen Z expects instant, engaging answers. TikTok tutorials and YouTube Shorts replace blog posts. A single search like “best foundation” surfaces real reviews, demos, and side-by-side comparisons—faster than reading an article.
• Authenticity Over Ads - Gen Z doesn’t trust polished marketing. They value real user content, creator reviews, and peer feedback. A TikTok vlog or Reddit thread feels more genuine than a blog with affiliate links. Community voices beat brand claims every time.
• Algorithms Drive Discovery - On platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Discord, relevant content finds users before they search. Gen Z is introduced to products and trends through algorithmic suggestions—shifting discovery earlier in the buyer journey and blending inspiration with intent.

If you're only focusing on Google SEO, you're missing Gen Z. To stay relevant, marketers must adapt to social-first search habits by building native content for TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and more. Search is no longer about links—it’s about being part of the conversation.

🎥 Ad of the Day

What Works:

The tagline "Unlock Your True Potential in the Gym" taps directly into self-actualization psychology, often used in fitness marketing. It aligns with motivational framing—not just selling a product, but selling the idea of becoming the best version of yourself.

Including a close-up of the AIRWAAV PX1 mouthpiece subtly educates the viewer without disrupting the action hero narrative. It uses dual imagery to drive both product awareness and aspirational identity simultaneously.

What Could be Better:

For a product in a science-meets-performance niche, there's no signal of clinical study, biomechanics endorsement, or even “doctor/trainer recommended.”

Broader Insights:

Given how niche and performance-driven this product is, partnering with micro-fitness creators or CrossFit athletes and turning their testimonials into vertical-first reels or TikToks could significantly outperform static creative like this.

The ad is clearly speaking to high-intent gym goers or athletes. This isn't for the average fitness hobbyist—it's targeting the 2% looking for performance edge tools. Smart, but narrow.

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