Summary:
This blog traces the evolution of marketing frameworks — from funnels to flywheels to HubSpot’s new Loop Marketing Framework. Drawing from personal experience across major companies, the author explains why the Loop better reflects today’s fast-moving, nonlinear customer journeys and offers actionable guidance on adopting it.
Key Points:
- The funnel (awareness → consideration → decision) was easy to explain but oversimplified customer behavior.
- The flywheel introduced the idea of customers as growth momentum, but still lagged behind customer complexity.
- HubSpot’s Loop Framework (2025) is designed for the AI era: nonlinear, continuous, and feedback-driven.
- Three guiding principles: Listen Continuously, Adapt Quickly, Create Compounding Value.
- Four stages: Express, Tailor, Amplify, Evolve.
Marketing frameworks have come and gone. In 2009, when I was working with Neolane (long before Adobe acquired it), the industry was buzzing about omni-channel marketing and“SoLoMo” — social, local, and mobile. We were experimenting with social maturity models, trying to determine where brands should begin with marketing automation, and grappling with early tech stack integrations.
Those early days were formative. I saw firsthand how hard it was to unify data, align teams, and prove ROI. The lessons from that time continue to guide my approach to marketing operations today.
By 2012, I had transitioned to a company implementing HubSpot, just as inbound marketing was gaining traction. Back then, the prevailing model was the linear funnel — awareness → consideration → decision. Logical and easy to explain, but not always reflective of the messy reality of customer journeys.
HubSpot evolved that framework into the flywheel, which emphasized customers as a source of growth momentum rather than just endpoints. Now, in 2025, they’ve unveiled the Loop Marketing Framework — and to me, it’s the most accurate model yet for how marketing, sales, and customer success actually work together.
What Is HubSpot’s Loop Marketing Framework?
HubSpot defines Loop Marketing as a new playbook for growth in the AI era. Unlike funnels and flywheels, the Loop is designed for today’s reality — nonlinear, fast-moving, and feedback-driven.
HubSpot defines Loop Marketing as a new playbook for growth in the AI era. Unlike funnels and flywheels, the Loop is designed for today’s reality — nonlinear, fast-moving, and feedback-driven.
It’s built on three guiding principles:
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Listen Continuously → Monitor every customer signal, from buying intent to service feedback, powered by AI.
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Adapt Quickly → No more waiting for quarterly pivots. The Loop enables teams to make changes in days, not quarters.
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Create Compounding Value → Every interaction feeds back into the system, making the next engagement smarter and more relevant.
The Loop unfolds across four stages:
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Express → Define who you are, your tone, and your point of view, guided by your ideal customer profile. -
Tailor → Make interactions personal, contextual, and relevant, using AI to meet customers where they are.
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Amplify → Diversify your content across channels for both humans and bots — ensuring visibility in search and AI engines.
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Evolve → Iterate quickly in real time, using AI to test, refine, and optimize in days, not quarters.
Together, these stages make the Loop not just a framework but an operating model for AI-driven growth, where agility and customer-centricity are baked into every stage.
Why the Loop Resonates With Me
When I look back on my career, the Loop feels less like a new framework and more like a culmination of what I’ve been experiencing for over a decade:
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2009: Neolane → We were chasing omni-channel marketing and testing SoLoMo strategies. It was all about finding ways to listen to signals, even if the tech wasn’t fully ready.
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2012: Percussion Software → I helped build an inbound strategy and implement HubSpot connected to Salesforce that fed the funnel. It worked, but it oversimplified the actual engagement of people with brands.
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2015–2017: The Weather Company / IBM → Scaling martech stacks showed me the importance of adaptability. We had to pivot fast to support multiple verticals — something the Loop now formalizes as making changes in days, not quarters.
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2018–2023: ZOLL Medical → In a regulated space, I led digital teams focused on unified data and digital innovation. We were closing the loop between marketing activity, clinical outcomes, and customer trust.
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2023–Present: Page One Web Solutions → Today, as Director of Strategic Innovation, I help clients embrace frameworks like the Loop, using AI and integrated systems to turn feedback into growth.
The through-line? Companies outgrow frameworks faster than their tech stacks evolve. Funnels and flywheels were steps forward, but they couldn’t keep pace with customer reality.
That’s why the Loop resonates so strongly with me: it acknowledges what I’ve always seen in practice.
"Customer journeys are complex, signals are constant, and the teams that succeed are those who can listen continuously, adapt quickly, and create compounding value."
How Businesses Can Start Adopting the Loop
The good news is that you don’t need to scrap your entire system to embrace the Loop. Instead, focus on how your team listens, adapts, and measures success across the four stages:
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Express who you are → Define your taste, tone, and point of view — informed by your ideal customer profile (ICP). This is where you clarify your voice in the market and ensure your content reflects both your expertise and your customers’ needs.
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Tailor your approach → Use AI to make every interaction personal, contextual, and relevant. Centralized data and smart automation allow you to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.
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Amplify your reach → Diversify your content across multiple channels — not just for people, but for bots and AI engines as well. The more discoverable and adaptable your content, the more momentum you create in the Loop.
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Evolve in real time → Don’t wait for quarterly reviews to pivot. With AI, you can iterate in days, not quarters, testing new campaigns, refining messaging, and responding instantly to market signals.
When businesses adopt these four stages, the Loop transitions from a framework to a day-to-day operating system for driving revenue growth in the AI era.
Final Thoughts
From Neolane to HubSpot to Page One, I’ve lived through the evolution of every major marketing framework — funnel, flywheel, and now Loop. Each shift has pushed us closer to what buyers actually need: connected experiences, aligned teams, and systems that grow smarter with every interaction.
At Page One Web Solutions, we help clients not only keep up with HubSpot’s frameworks but also operationalize them within their Revenue Operations (RevOps) strategy. The Loop isn’t the end of the story — it’s the next operating system for how revenue teams grow together.
👉 Want to see how the Loop fits into your business? Let’s map your customer journeys and align them with your tech stack.
Q1: What is HubSpot’s Loop Marketing Framework?
HubSpot’s Loop Marketing Framework is a growth model for the AI era. It emphasizes continuous listening, fast adaptation, and compounding customer value across four stages: Express, Tailor, Amplify, and Evolve. Unlike funnels and flywheels, it reflects today’s nonlinear customer journeys.
Q2: How is Loop Marketing different from the funnel and flywheel?
The funnel is linear and oversimplifies engagement. The flywheel adds customer momentum but doesn’t account for rapid change. The Loop, by contrast, is designed for real-time adaptability, AI-powered feedback, and continuous optimization.
Q3: Do I need to rebuild my marketing systems to adopt Loop Marketing?
No. The Loop can layer onto existing systems. The key is shifting your team’s mindset: focus on listening continuously, tailoring interactions with AI, amplifying across channels, and evolving in days, not quarters.
Q4: How does AI power the Loop Marketing Framework?
AI drives the Loop by analyzing signals, personalizing engagement, automating cross-channel distribution, and enabling rapid iteration. This enables smarter and more contextual customer experiences at every touchpoint.
Q5: How can Page One Web Solutions help businesses adopt Loop Marketing?
Page One specializes in aligning frameworks like the Loop with your RevOps strategy. They map customer journeys, optimize tech stacks, and operationalize AI-driven processes to accelerate growth.