The Response Funnel is the customer journey model used in Response Marketing. It has 5 stages: R1 (Recognition of the problem), R2 (Response at the informational level), R3 (Reference and comparison), R4 (Relationship and trust), R5 (Result and conversion).
Each stage maps the most effective type of content and channel. At R1, the prospect is trying to understand the problem, so the content needs to be educational and show up in AIs and search engines. At R3, they are comparing options, so the brand needs social proof, backlinks from relevant publications and presence in roundup lists. At R5, it is time for direct conversion.
The advantage of the Response Funnel over traditional funnels is that it treats AI channels as part of the path. Many B2B and B2C buying journeys today start with a question to ChatGPT or Gemini. If your brand is not present at that stage, you lose the opportunity before you even knew it existed.