A bit of history on the funnel

At some point between 1889 and 1925  the AIDA model was created by Elias St Elmo Lewis’. He was an Ad man and academic whose strategic advertising approach implies that people react to advertising communications in the unidirectional trajectory that starts with Attention, followed by Interest, and then Desire, before finally taking Action. The AIDA model subsequently birthed several iterations including the Hierarchy of Effects Model, which, in a similar linear fashion, describes how consumers firstly become aware of advertising communications before seeking knowledge about the product/ service/ brand. Finding himself emotionally involved, the consumer then moves into liking the brand. At this point, as long as the advertising communication is done right, the model suggests, that, while still emotionally driven, the customer begins to prefer the product/ service/ brand. Only after that point, is his behavior altered as he moves into the fifth and sixth stages conviction and purchase.