Underserved child
For years, the funnel has been treated as a straight line: plug in GRP’s and impressions above and a conversion will roll out below. In reality, however, the customer journey is messy and mostly human. The midfunnel is the crucial stage where people ask themselves: does this brand fit me? Do I feel something about this? Do I believe this?
Yet this phase remains underfunded in terms of budget. Why is that? Because it's not an outreach party, feels complex and also doesn't produce a directly measurable conversion. Here, it's all about trust. In publishers, in production parties, in content creators, and for marketers that means daring to let go of the reins somewhat. On the other hand, it's about growing brand trust among the target audience. And trust grows gradually. This is where you need a long breath.
Emotion as a foundation for brand preference
Branded content that really gets in does more than inform: it touches. Especially in the midfunnel, where consumers oriënate and brands have to distinguish themselves, emotion plays a decisive role. According to research by Nielsen (2022), campaigns with a strong emotional charge contribute 23% more to brand recall and brand association than rationally designed campaigns.
Neuroscience research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute shows that brands that structurally evoke positive emotion are more strongly anchored in long-term memory. This is crucial because purchase choices are rarely made rationally; they are often the result of unconscious preferences and associations built up in earlier stages.
And now let branded content be ideally suited to form those associations. Not via hard conversion claims, but by telling stories that touch on the identity, values or aspirations of the target group. Think of formats that evoke recognition, or on the contrary, surprise, emotion or inspire. This is largely true for young people as well.
Youth: critical, but receptive to branded content
Mediahuis' Big Youth Survey 2025 shows that young people (aged 15–35) are becoming increasingly critical in their media consumption. Authenticity and reliability are important conditions. At the same time, they remain receptive to brands that really have something to say. Branded content stands out as a remarkably positive packaging for this message: 31% of young people experience this form as more credible than traditional advertising, a clear increase compared to previous years. Remarkably, especially women between 22 and 28 years old have come to regard this content as less irritating and more reliable.
this is a generation with a highly developed ‘bullshit filter’. Young people have little patience for superficial or intrusive campaigns, but are wél open to content that feels honest, offers content and connects with their world. Not coincidentally, many young people indicate that they are regularly annoyed by repetition and hard-selling formats, whereas they spend more time on content that touches or informs them, such as longreads, podcasts or video interviews.
Their media behavior confirms this: despite screen time rising to 5.1 hours per day on average, time on traditional social media platforms is declining slightly. Young people are shifting their attention toward formats where they can choose what to watch, read or listen to. Think YouTube video’s, streaming services, editorials or news feeds. In that context, branded content is gaining ground. Not because it looks like advertising, but because it níét do just that. It fits with how young people want to consume content: meaningful, casual and on their own terms.
finally: time for a funnel intervention
The midfunnel may not be easy, but it is the cement of brand growth. This generation doesn't just believe; they want to be touched. And bold, meaningful stories in the midfunnel are needed for exactly that.
The next time your marketing budget is debated, I argue: push that midfunnel infill forward. With creativity, formats and stories that stick. Not just because it's fun, but mostly because it's rewarding.
This article previously appeared on Adformatie via VIA
