How Top Brands Build Marketing Funnels That Actually Convert (With Real Campaign Examples)

The brands that consistently win attention do not rely on luck, trends or viral moments.

They rely on structure.

Behind every high-performing campaign is a deliberately designed marketing funnel built around strong hooks, clear storytelling and intentional sequencing that guides audiences from awareness to action.

This article breaks down how leading brands build marketing strategies and funnels, using a mix of campaign types including brand storytelling, experiential marketing, platform-led campaigns and brand collaborations to show how attention is earned, interest is built and conversion follows.

Step One: The Hook Comes Before the Product

Top brands do not lead with features. They lead with relevance.

The hook is the moment that earns attention before logic kicks in. High-performing hooks usually tap into one of three drivers:

• Identity and aspiration

• Contrast or surprise

• Cultural or lifestyle alignment

Example: Spotify Wrapped, IKEA Experiential Campaigns

Spotify Wrapped is a masterclass in hook design. The campaign does not sell music or subscriptions upfront. It sells identity. Personal data is reframed as entertainment, prompting social sharing and organic reach before any conversion messaging appears.

Duolingo’s TikTok presence shows how brands can use platform-native behaviour as the hook. Instead of polished advertising, Duolingo leaned into humour, self-awareness and trend participation. The brand mascot became the content. This created constant top-of-funnel attention, massive organic reach and cultural relevance, all before driving users back into the product ecosystem.

These campaigns work because the hook creates emotional relevance before asking for commitment.

Step Two: Storytelling Builds Desire

Once attention is secured, top brands move into narrative.

Storytelling answers the question many campaigns skip too quickly. Why should I care.

Effective storytelling focuses on:

• The customer’s identity

• A relatable tension or need

• A clear emotional outcome

Example: Apple Brand Storytelling, Airbnb Experiences

Apple’s brand campaigns rarely lead with specifications. Instead, they show outcomes. Creativity, productivity and self-expression take centre stage, positioning the product as a tool that enables possibility.

Airbnb’s experience-led campaigns sell belonging rather than accommodation. By focusing on how travel feels rather than where people stay, Airbnb builds aspiration and trust well before conversion.

In both cases, storytelling establishes desire long before the purchase decision.

Step Three: Brand Collaborations as Funnel Accelerators

Brand collaborations are one tool within a broader funnel strategy, not the strategy itself.

When executed well, collaborations act as accelerators by:

• Expanding reach into new audiences

• Transferring trust between brands

• Creating cultural relevance

Example: Nike x SKIMS, Pandora X Bridgerton, Porsche x Aimé Leon Dore

Nike x SKIMS used collaboration as a cultural hook. The pairing generated conversation and press first, social storytelling second, and conversion through limited product drops supported by retargeting and creator amplification.

Pandora × Bridgerton - Launched in alignment with anticipation for the show’s fourth season, the collection draws on recognisable Bridgerton motifs, bees, hearts and wisteria and translates them into refined, wearable jewellery. Rather than reading as licensed merchandise, the pieces feel native to the Bridgerton world, allowing audiences to engage with the brand through emotion and storytelling rather than promotion.

Porsche × Aimé Leon Dore used collaboration as a cultural accelerator. The partnership led with a custom car as the headline moment, generated earned media and fashion-led conversation first, extended into lifestyle merchandise and editorial storytelling second, and built long-term brand desire rather than immediate conversion. The result was expanded reach, shared credibility, and cultural relevance at the top and middle of the funnel.

These examples show how collaborations can shorten the path from attention to action when integrated intentionally.

Step Four: Funnels Are Designed, Not Accidental

High-performing brands do not rely on a single channel to convert. They design funnels that move audiences through clear stages. Awareness to interest to desire to action.

Example: Spotify x Starbucks, DuoLingo

Spotify x Starbucks blended physical and digital touchpoints. In-store discovery drove awareness, playlists built interest, and ongoing app engagement reinforced retention.

DuoLingo didn’t grow by aggressively pushing downloads. It built attention first, then let conversion follow. Absurd, highly shareable TikTok content made the owl culturally familiar. The app then reinforced interest through a simple, playful experience that kept people coming back. Installs and paid upgrades came naturally once that relationship was built.

These examples demonstrate that funnels work best when channels reinforce each other.

Step Five: Simplicity at the Point of Conversion

When the audience reaches the decision stage, clarity matters more than creativity.

Top brands remove friction by:

• Limiting choice

• Using clear visual hierarchy

• Reinforcing value without over-explaining

The funnel has already done the heavy lifting. Conversion should feel natural, not forced.

The Takeaway

The most effective marketing funnels are not loud or complicated.

They are deliberate.

Top brands succeed because they combine strong hooks, emotional storytelling, selective collaboration and clear funnel design.

When these elements work together, attention converts into action consistently and at scale.