Thinking On Paper Analog Vs Digital Marketing in 2026: Funnels Don't Exist and Your Customer is OpenAI
Marketing funnels don't exist. They never did. The internet just convinced us they were real. Meta, Google, OpenAI and a supporting cast of billionaire sociopaths figured out they could control distribution and black-box your customers.
Hurrah. Humanity forgot to read the small print.
Now you're running a business where you don't even know who your customer is.
Well here’s the AI-shaped healthcheck: Your customer is OpenAI.
You're paying 3-15% for a digital presence you don't need. It's called the Silicon Valley tax. You're burning money to keep VCs rich while platforms add another layer of black box between you and the people you serve.
The alternative? Network methodology. Someone you know, or someone who knows someone you know. That's it.
Funnels were invented to sell marketing. Networks are how humans actually work.
We've been doing it since we had prefrontal cortexes.
Everything that's real is analog.
That's true for business too.
Welcome to the marketing jungle.
The year is 2026, and if you don’t know who the sucker at the table is… you probably shouldn’t be playing the stakes.
Please enjoy the reality check.
Cheers,
Mark and Jeremy. PS: Keep thinking on paper. They don’t want you to, that’s why you must.
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