If you were taking a survey and were posed the following question, how would you answer?

Now, how would your answer change if it were instead framed as follows:

Or how about:

Chances are that a mostly distinct set of category brands surfaced in each scenario. The first question was general in nature.  It likely elicited the most well-known fast food/QSR brands.  However, this is not how brand growth works.

Recent research, particularly from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, has fundamentally reshaped how we understand brand growth.  Their work on mental availability demonstrates that brands win by being recalled in moments that matter, also known as category entry points (“CEPs.”)

In the fast-food example above, cravings and healthy options represent CEPs, as could being good for “on the go”, wanting a “treat or reward”, or representing “good value”.  Successful QSR/fast-food brands will strengthen bonds to these category entry points and be top-of-mind when these situations happen.

If your research doesn’t address mental availability in buying situations, you may be missing metrics that signal growth.  Taking the following steps will help:

• 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 landscape of CEPs: Qualitative research can uncover the range of buying situations in your category. Explore buying/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.
• Uncover untapped opportunities: Well-designed research can reveal category entry points that no brand currently owns, giving your brand first-mover advantage in addressing unmet needs.

A few considerations to keep your research actionable:

• 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.

Building mental availability in the moments that drive purchase decisions is the difference between growing and stagnating brands.