Why Funnel Thinking Still Matters
Customers don’t convert on first exposure
Plan for 7–13 touchpoints building familiarity and trust before conversion.
Map channel roles to stages
Assign awareness to mass-reach, consideration to education, and conversion to high-intent tactics.
Align creative to stage
Top: brand/story • Mid: education/differentiation • Bottom: offer/CTA.
The Modern Media Funnel
Awareness
Goal: Reach + Recall • KPIs: Impressions, Viewability, VTR, Brand Lift, Freq • Channels: YouTube, DOOH, Display, TikTok, Radio, CTV.
Consideration
Goal: Engagement + Interest • KPIs: CTR, Time on Site, Page Depth, Return Visits, Video Completion • Channels: Meta, Native, Programmatic, LinkedIn, Email, Content.
Conversion
Goal: Action • KPIs: CPA, ROAS, AOV, LTV, CVR • Channels: Google Search/Shopping, Meta Retargeting, Affiliate, Email/SMS.
Channels by Funnel Stage
Awareness
YouTube, DOOH, Display, TikTok, Radio — scale, memorability, frequency.
Consideration
Meta, Native, Programmatic, LinkedIn — engagement and education.
Conversion
Google Search & Shopping, Meta Retargeting — high intent and DR.
Creative by Funnel Stage
Awareness
Brand/emotion/story • Video/DOOH/Rich display • 15–30s.
Consideration
Benefits/social proof • Carousel/In-feed/Native • 6–15s.
Conversion
Offer/CTA/urgency • Text+Display/DCO/Search • short and direct.
KPIs by Funnel Stage
Awareness
Reach, CPM, VTR, Viewability, Frequency, Brand Lift.
Consideration
CTR, LP Views, Scroll Depth, Time on Site, Bounce, Video Completion.
Conversion
CPA, ROAS, CVR, AOV, CLV, Retention Rate.
Media Flighting by Stage
- Awareness: always-on or launch bursts (4–6 wks), high reach; ~60% budget.
- Consideration: layer after 1–3 wks as traction shows; ~25% budget.
- Conversion: ongoing SEM/retargeting/email; 30–90 day windows; ~15% budget.
- Retention: CRM, loyalty, app notifications; lift LTV.
Audience Strategy
Bottom
Cart abandoners, CRM, custom intent.
Mid
Lookalikes, site visitors, video viewers.
Top
Broad interests, geo, contextual.
Run overlap analysis to find efficient combinations.
Funnel Movement Isn’t Linear
- Entry points differ: search-first buyers may skip “awareness”.
- Bi-directional: users bounce between stages; sequence channels accordingly.
- Personalise: use 1P data and behaviour to adapt content/offers.
Cross-Channel Integration
- Map creative+media to stages; define objectives per stage.
- Keep message/visual system consistent; audit regularly.
- Use UTMs and dashboards to spot drop-offs and fix leakage.
Budget Allocation Framework (NZ Context)
Awareness
~30–40% • Mass reach, social awareness, brand building.
Consideration
~30–40% • Content/SEO, retargeting, email nurture.
Conversion
~20–30% • Search ads, promos, site optimisation.
Adjust for: campaign length, lifecycle, vertical, and NZ seasonality; reassess quarterly.
How to Measure Funnel Performance
- Use blended CPA across stages to find efficiency gaps.
- Attribute micro-conversions (video views, time on site).
- Compare first vs last click; use MTA where possible.
- Build dashboards segmented by stage.
Retargeting Within the Funnel
- Segment by recency/behaviour (views, carts, depth).
- Use sequential messaging: brand → benefit → offer.
- Cap frequency to avoid fatigue; test thresholds.
- Optimise via attribution and segment-level reads.
Funnel Strategy for NZ Verticals
Tertiary
Early awareness → program content → lead forms & deadline reminders.
Retail
Lifestyle top-funnel → product feeds mid → Shopping & dynamic retargeting.
Finance
Education/trust → calculators/comparison → offer-based retargeting.
Health
Education → testimonials/credentials → clinic/location tactics + reminders.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Only bottom-funnel and expecting scale.
- Awareness creative in conversion placements.
- Ignoring mid-funnel nurture.
- No stage-specific measurement.
Tools for Funnel Mapping
GA4
Path analysis, attribution, real-time audiences.
Looker Studio
Stage-level dashboards and drop-off visuals.
DV360 / Meta
Audience overlap, path reads, stage performance.
Miro/Notion
Journey maps and team alignment.
Creative + Media Sync
- Plan creative variants by stage, not just size.
- Use DCO to automate per-stage messaging.
- Write briefs with explicit funnel roles.
- Measure creative performance by position in funnel.
Attribution Considerations
- Don’t rely solely on last-click.
- Balance platform reads with independent tracking.
- Account for assisted conversions and view-through impact.
How KBR Supports Funnel Strategy
Funnel planning workshops
Map journeys and touchpoints by stage.
Creative briefing by stage
Templates with messaging/CTA guidance.
Cross-platform budget & KPI mapping
Right spend, right metrics at each stage.
Reporting dashboards
Stage-tracked performance with bottleneck alerts.
Want to Strengthen Your Funnel Strategy?
We’ll help you integrate creative, media, and measurement into a cohesive NZ-ready plan.