Category Entry Points (or CEPs) are the reasons, the motivations, the triggers and the occasions when someone considers buying a product in your category. They are the variables involved in your thought process at the start or outset of buying from the category. Category Entry Points represent the building blocks to Mental Availability, in other words, salience, how easy you come to mind in buying occasions.
What are
Category Entry Points?
They can be broken down into six interrelated variables.
Why are they
Important?
Category Entry Points have been brought to the fore in marketing science thanks to the work of the Ehrenberg Bass Institute, with Mental Availability touted as one of, if not the most important lever, in growing brands. By identifying your priority Category Entry Points and associating your brand with them, you can improve how salient you are. This ensures your brand comes to mind at key purchase and consumption occasions.
How are
Category Entry Points Used
A deeper understanding of Category Entry Points provides you with actionable insight to improve your brand strategy & marketing activity. They help inform a more strategic brand plan, moving away from a blunt “drive awareness” strategy to one focused on winning the moments that matter.
BRAND MEASUREMENT
Assess your brand's performance across CEPS, as well as your competitors
STRATEGY & PRIORITISATION
Understand which CEPs matter for growth, where do you need to build mental availability?
BARRIERS TO GROWTH
Understand where you have mental availability issues which are limiting growth
MARKETING OR COMMUNICATIONS EVALUATION
CEP(s) can be used as a KPI(s) for marketing activity or communication campaigns
GAP ANALYSIS
Understand gaps across the company portfolio or product features. Helps inform innovation pipeline
BRAND PLANNING
Helps inform brand planning and the path to purchase
AUDIENCES
Understand performance across segments, are any demographics holding you back?
COMPETITOR INSIGHT
Gain a better understanding of where and how competitors are growing
COMMUNICATION MESSAGING
Helps inform messaging, what should you be saying in order to build mental availability against key CEPs?
BRAND MEASUREMENT
Assess your brand’s performance across CEPs, as well as your competitors
BRAND PLANNING
Helps inform brand planning and the path to purchase
STRATEGY & PRIORITISATION
Understand which CEPs matter for growth, where do you need to build mental availability?
AUDIENCES
Understand performance across segments, are any demographics holding you back?
BARRIERS TO GROWTH
Understand where you have availability issues which are limiting growth
COMPETITOR INSIGHT
Gain a better understanding of where and how competitors are growing
MARKETING OR COMMUNICATIONS EVALUATION
CEP(s) can be used as a KPI(s) for marketing activity or communication campaigns
COMMUNICATION MESSAGING
Helps inform messaging, what should you be saying in order to build mental availability against key CEPs?
GAP ANALYSIS
Understand gaps across the company portfolio or product features. Helps inform innovation pipeline
Clients
