Snickers is a great example of how to use CEPs to cut through in a very competitive category such as chocolate & confectionary. A rudimentary strategy for Snickers would be to solely focus on driving awareness of Snickers as a chocolate bar, measured using metrics such as prompted or top-of-mind awareness only. This is still quite a common approach for many FMCG/CPG brands, having a blunt strategy with little focus or prioritisation. Snickers took a different approach to cut through which can be seen via their “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaigns. We hypothesise that their strategy here would be along the lines of “Become the snack of choice for hungry people the world over”, with a focus on being salient for the CEP(s) around those moments of hunger outside of meals. They then executed this excellently in advertising, with campaign messaging associating the brand with these CEPs. Snickers also benefited from their focus CEP(s) having a universal appeal, therefore it could be rolled out globally, albeit with nuances by market.

The measurement of these CEP(s) also helps show how our definitions of categories as marketers does not reflect real life and is quite limiting. A common measure, with the blunt strategy mentioned above, would likely be “What chocolate bars do you consider/think of?”. In their more focused strategy around snacking outside of meals, Snickers are competing with several categories, food types and brands. Some people would satisfy their hunger with a bag of popcorn, others crisps/chips, and others perhaps with some healthy nuts. By measuring against snacking & hunger-related CEPs, Snickers has a better picture of brand health and indeed their direct and indirect competitors.

Jameson, like all large brands, is big because they are salient across so many Category Entry Points or occasions. It is a nice sipping whisk(e)y while watching the football, it is often the brand of choice in Irish coffee, it makes a great pantry filler whisk(e)y, and it can make a delightful gift at Christmas. A number of years ago, Jameson identified a key Category Entry Point to focus on. Their core target market was/is L.A.D.S (It’s an acronym, but think of your typical 18-35YO male pub frequenter). They identified an important CEP for this group, where after 3 or 4 pints, they were often “full”, and wanted something lighter and a drink that could provide a kickstart to the night as it moved from casual to higher tempo. For this, they created the “Jameson, Ginger & Lime”, a serve which was a key feature of their trade and experiential activity in several markets. This refreshing and accessible drink was also a key feature of their advertising, with the objective of being salient for this CEP and that specific moment in the night.

The use of the Jameson, Ginger & Lime was also broadened over time to help drive volume in the off-trade with messaging and special packs to help communicate how easy it is to make at home.

Duolingo capitalises on the frustrations faced by UK commuters with targeted creative advertising encouraging them to spend idle time learning a new language via their app, and is a good Category Entry Point example in the digital space.

Limited mobile coverage such as that on the London underground, plus bus, train and traffic delays often leaves commuters with wasted time. Duolingo has identified this as a Category Entry Point for their free learning tool, which includes available offline content. This is a good example of how CEP research can aid innovation; informing new SKUs or features. 

The clever advertising campaign launched in 2019 also sees Duolingo tie in their ‘Duo’ owl character, their critical Distinctive Brand Asset, merging two of the most influential and measurable marketing concepts.