{"id":636,"date":"2026-04-21T05:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T05:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zn-ch\/?p=636"},"modified":"2026-04-29T02:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T02:55:43","slug":"funnels-are-dead-influencers-are-the-real-killers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/industry\/funnels-are-dead-influencers-are-the-real-killers\/","title":{"rendered":"Funnels Are Dead. Influencers Are the Real Killers."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For decades, marketers have relied on the comfort of the funnel \u2014 awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty. A simple diagram that promised control in an increasingly chaotic world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1836\">But in 2025, the funnel is no longer a reflection of how people buy. It\u2019s a relic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1837\">Today\u2019s consumers don\u2019t follow sequential paths. They live in loops \u2014 of influence, discussion, and trust. The journey from <em>discovery<\/em> to <em>decision<\/em> happens in seconds, not stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1838\">The rise of creators didn\u2019t just challenge the funnel. It <strong>killed it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D4E12AQEQPXSz-0usfg\/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488\/B4EZpS_z4iGYAQ-\/0\/1762329051377?e=1778112000&amp;v=beta&amp;t=Gz7vBDfl1gEq7soq7q7Fm5hPLvf1YqdhZEI4cTouIQY\" alt=\"Article content\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The good old \u201cAIDA\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ember1840\">The Death of the Funnel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1841\">People don\u2019t research their way down a pipeline anymore. They<strong> scroll, see, and decide \u2014 often in one breath<\/strong>. A creator\u2019s recommendation replaces weeks of nurturing. A viral video replaces three retargeting ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1842\">The modern consumer doesn\u2019t respond to structured persuasion. They respond to <em>authentic validation<\/em>. And that validation lives in social ecosystems, not sales funnels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ember1843\">The Oura Ring Case: When Trust Outperforms Targeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1844\">Few brands embody this shift better than <a href=\"https:\/\/ouraring.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Oura Ring<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 the Finnish \u201cfinger wearable\u201d that turned a minimalist ring into a global health phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1845\">In 2024, Oura reached a <strong>$5.2B valuation<\/strong> and over <strong>$500M in annual sales<\/strong>. In a market crowded with feature-heavy smartwatches, Oura took the opposite approach: it made technology <em>invisible<\/em>, and storytelling <em>visible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1846\">Instead of spending on traditional media, Oura built an ecosystem of <em>creator-driven trust<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>On Instagram<\/strong>, the brand partnered with sleep experts, fashion icons, and entrepreneurs \u2014 merging health data with aesthetic aspiration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>On TikTok<\/strong>, creators translated complex biometrics into relatable \u201cthis-changed-my-sleep\u201d moments, making tech feel human.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>On YouTube<\/strong>, deep-dive reviews from voices like <em>Unbox Therapy<\/em> built authority that advertising simply couldn\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1848\">Then came the cultural crossovers: The <strong>NBA<\/strong> for credibility. <strong>Gucci<\/strong> for desirability. And creators for trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D4E12AQGkPQErZCrBSQ\/article-inline_image-shrink_1500_2232\/B4EZpTCXBZHUAU-\/0\/1762329720267?e=1778112000&amp;v=beta&amp;t=avkydMGZqyQJgsby0p_mlQUAwQ6cROVmSH9A0T_jS50\" alt=\"Article content\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1850\">The result? Oura transcended the gadget category to become a <em>symbol<\/em> \u2014 a blend of wellness, luxury, and identity. Even Google named it one of 2025\u2019s <em>Top 100 Holiday Gifts<\/em>, marking its entry into mainstream culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1851\">Oura didn\u2019t move users down a funnel. It built a <strong>loop of trust<\/strong> \u2014 powered by creators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ember1852\">GlobalStar: Building Growth in a Funnel-Free World<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1853\">At <strong>GlobalStar<\/strong>, we see this shift every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1854\">We are an <strong>AI-powered creator marketing platform built for global brands<\/strong>, founded on the belief that creators will power the next generation of commerce. We help brands launch, scale, and optimize creator-led campaigns across North America, Europe, and Asia \u2014 with unmatched speed, attribution, and intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1855\">Headquartered between North America and Asia, we\u2019ve partnered with over 200 leading brands in consumer electronics, smart hardware, and lifestyle sectors \u2014 helping them transform <em>creator engagement<\/em> into <em>measurable global growth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1856\">From 2024 to 2025, our collaboration with <strong>BeatBot<\/strong>, a next-generation robotic pool-cleaning brand, showed what the new marketing era truly looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1857\">With <strong>influencer marketing as the <\/strong><strong><em>only<\/em><\/strong><strong> growth driver<\/strong>, we generated over <strong>$15 million GMV<\/strong>, working with <strong>5,000 creators worldwide<\/strong> \u2014 including top macro creators specialized in home and pool care. No ad funnels. No long lead cycles. Just the right creators, real content, and cultural momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D4E12AQFGkLUpVLEavQ\/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488\/B4EZpTUPHPIwAQ-\/0\/1762334409980?e=1778112000&amp;v=beta&amp;t=_-wo2osbjqwxCclFVTE98XK-i1C1C_vV_EzrDa_T6o8\" alt=\"GlobalStar\u2018s Partnership with BeatBot, pool cleaning robots\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">For detailed case study, stay tuned or contact GlobalStar directly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1859\">That\u2019s what modern performance looks like when <em>trust replaces targeting<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ember1860\">The Creator Era: When Awareness Is Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1861\">Creators are no longer \u201ctop-of-funnel amplifiers.\u201d They are <strong>full-funnel operators<\/strong> \u2014 collapsing awareness, desire, and purchase into one social moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"ember1862\">Their content builds credibility <em>and<\/em> converts simultaneously. Their audiences don\u2019t need retargeting \u2014 they already have trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a creator wears an Oura Ring or demonstrates a BeatBot cleaning performance, that\u2019s not a soft awareness play. It\u2019s <strong>instant activation<\/strong>.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/globalstartechnology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For decades, marketers have relied on the comfort of the funnel \u2014 awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty. A simple diagram that promised control in an increasingly chaotic world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":638,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636\/revisions\/638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalstardigital.com\/zh-cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}