Take your customers to a playground. Let them play!
Old buying behaviour:
“Put them through the funnel…”
Awareness
Consideration
Purchase
Neat. Clean. Linear.
New buying behaviour:
“Take them through a playground & let them Play.”
And suddenly the funnel looked… a little silly.
Because nobody I know buys like a robot anymore.
They don’t walk in a straight line.
They wander. They loop. They ask a friend. They watch three videos at 1 a.m. They read reviews. They disappear for a week. They come back. They buy. Or they don’t.
Google has a name for this: the “messy middle” — where people loop between exploration and evaluation until they’re ready to decide.
The funnel was built for a different world
Funnels make sense when:
distribution is controlled
brands talk, customers listen
information is hard to access
the “path to purchase” is predictable
That world had gatekeepers. This new world has open tabs.
Our customers now have options:
YouTube
WhatsApp groups
“My cousin did this last year”
ten influencers explaining the same thing differently
ChatGPT
and a constant fear of getting scammed for anything money related
HBR said it bluntly a while ago: marketing can’t rely on the funnel anymore because the buying process isn’t linear and this was 2014.
The real shift: from persuasion to self-education
Modern buyers don’t want to be pushed. They want to understand.
They want to feel:
in control
informed
socially validated
safe to choose
So the job of marketing is changing:
From: “Drive them to conversion.”
To: “Host an environment where they can convince themselves.”
That environment is what I’m calling a "playground".
What a “playground” means
A playground is:
non-linear (multiple entry points)
self-directed (people choose what they engage with)
low-pressure (they can leave and return)
social (they watch what others do)
experiential (they learn by trying, not by being told)
The playground map (an operator’s model)
Imagine the playground as a theme park.
Here’s a practical way that we are trying to adopt:
Home Loans: “Trust is the product."
People aren’t buying a loan.
They’re buying a good night sleep.
They don’t want marketing slop.
They want certainty.
“Can I trust you with the biggest commitment of my life?”
The Home Loan Playground (examples)
Story corner
“How we moved from rented 1BHK to owned 2BHK in 15 months”
“What I wish I knew before my first EMI”
“How we handled salary gaps / variable income”
Proof wall
Clear breakdown of total cost (not just interest rate)
Transparent approval criteria (what helps, what hurts)
Real timelines: best case / typical / worst case
Sandbox
EMI + eligibility calculator
Document checklist generator (“Based on your profile, you’ll need…”)
“Sanction in principle” - minimum data, maximum clarity
Coach’s bench
15-minute “Free Home Loan Clarity Call”
WhatsApp support for docs + status
“Explain like I’m five” video for key terms (LTV, FOIR, processing fee)
Re-entry
Check if your property is eligible for a loan + EMI plan
“Next step when you’re ready” email
Monthly “rate + policy change” digest in plain language
The new metrics: stop measuring “conversion,” start measuring “play”
Funnels measure:
clicks
drop-offs
conversion rate
Playgrounds measure:
time spent
return visits
depth of exploration
questions asked
assets consumed
shares / saves
referrals / mentions in social
micro-commitments (download, try tool, signed up for free Home Loan counselling)
Because the real question is no longer:
“Did they convert today?”
It’s:
“Did they move from curiosity to confidence?”
That’s the only conversion that lasts.
People love to explore their options before buying.
So:
Don’t herd them. Host them.
Build a park so good they bring their friends.
