Audiences & targeting
Funnel (upper, mid, lower)
The funnel is the shorthand model for stages of readiness: upper funnel builds awareness among people not yet in-market, mid funnel builds consideration, lower funnel converts active demand. Channels and KPIs should be assigned by the stage each line serves.
In practice
The model's value in planning is role clarity: it stops upper-funnel video being judged on last-click conversions and stops search being asked to create demand that is not there.
Real behaviour is messier than the diagram, but the discipline of stating each line's job survives the model's simplifications.