If you were taking a survey and were posed the following question, how would you answer?
Which fast food restaurants come to mind?
Now, how would your answer change if it were instead framed as follows:
Which fast food restaurants come to mind when you have a craving?
Or how about:
Which fast food restaurants come to mind when you are seeking healthy options?
You probably named a different set of restaurants each time. The first question rewards general fame; most purchase occasions are more specific.
Brands do not compete for general awareness.
Brands compete for recall in specific buying situations.
Research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute has helped establish the role of mental availability in brand growth. Brands benefit from being recalled in relevant buying situations, also known as category entry points (CEPs).
In the fast-food example above, cravings and healthy options represent CEPs, as could “on the go,” “treat or reward,” or “good value.” Successful brands work to strengthen associations with relevant category entry points so they are easier to recall when those situations arise.
Measuring Category Entry Points
If tracking research does not address mental availability in buying situations, it may miss useful indicators:
- Frame unaided awareness questions around buying moments: Don’t ask about brand recall in general, but in the specific situations when it counts.
- Map the full set of CEPs: Qualitative research can uncover the range of buying situations in your category. Explore buying and usage situations over time rather than single moments. People buy in a category for different reasons across weeks and months.
- Measure breadth and depth: Determine how many CEPs your brand is connected to and your mindshare within each. Growth typically requires both.
- Audit your existing tracking research: Many long-running tracking studies were not designed with CEPs in mind. An evolution of the current approach may be warranted.
- Look for lightly claimed CEPs: Identify buying situations where no brand has a clear advantage, then assess whether the situation fits your brand.
Practical Considerations
- Keep it focused: Categories can have dozens of CEPs. However, it’s impractical to ask dozens of unaided awareness questions. A total of 3-4 randomized questions about the brand’s core CEPs is ideal. Anything more becomes burdensome for survey participants.
- Keep CEPs distinct: People often don’t buy based on a single CEP. They often bundle (e.g., “I want a late-night craving that can be eaten on the go, at a low cost.”) You cannot ask questions this way. Keep CEPs separate to isolate the specific buying situations where your brand excels or needs improvement in building mental availability.
- Strategically use aided questions: Brands can gauge linkage to other CEPs through pre-listed or aided brand association questions.