Beyond the Linear Funnel: A Complex Adaptive-Systems Perspective on Marketing ۴.۰

Linear funnel models cannot capture the looping, bursty trajectories characteristic of Marketing ۴.۰ journeys. This article reframes those journeys as a complex adaptive system and formalises them in the CAS-CJ tuple (A, T, E, R, II), where adaptive customers, mutable touch-points, environmental shocks and brand policies jointly shape behaviour. From information-theoretic first principles we derive three metrics-Path Entropy (H), Looping Ratio (LR) and Interaction Burstiness (B)-and prove that conversion performance peaks at moderate H, increases with LR until saturation, and declines as B rises. Mapping published findings into the {H, LR, B} space reconciles their contradictions. Stylised calculations illustrate plausibility, while simple heuristics-optimise H, cap LR, smooth B-translate theory into dashboard rules via a "Journey Geometry Monitor." CAS-CJ subsumes the funnel as a limiting case and offers falsifiable propositions for future empirical and simulation work.

کلیدواژه ها:

Marketing ۴.۰ ، Complex Adaptive Systems ، Customer-Journey Entropy ، Looping Ratio ، Interaction Burstiness