To help brands like Planted understand what's actually bringing consumers to shop in their category (not just what they think when they get there), quantilope leverages a framework known as Category Entry Points (CEPs).
The concept of CEPs stems from Byron Sharp and Jenni Romaniuk – two esteemed Professors of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science (EBI). Simply put, CEPs are the specific needs, occasions, and situations that prompt a consumer's decision to purchase a product within a certain category (i.e. "when moving apartments" is a likely CEP for the mattress category while "to entertain guests" could be a CEP for the potato chip category. They are the fundamental, real-world cues that lead a consumer to think of a category and the brands within it. As such, CEPs are the essential building blocks for sustainable brand growth.
A case study in strategic brand growth: Planted's Grasp of CEPs
Planted, a Swiss-based FoodTech company for plant-based meat alternatives, has successfully fueled its brand growth by identifying, understanding, and actively marketing around the moments that truly matter: Category Entry Points.
In this webinar, Planted's CMO, Joanna Katharina Lazar, and quantilope's CEO, Peter Aschmoneit, discuss how the strategic use of data-driven CEP insights has fueled Planted's rapid growth, earning them recognition as a 2025 'Top 5 Global GreenTech Company' by Time Magazine and Statista.
Their conversation highlights several critical principles that marketers must master to leverage CEPs effectively:
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Mental Availability and Mental Advantages:
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Learn why simply being physically available on the shelf is not enough. Mental Availability – the likelihood of a brand coming to mind in a particular buying situation – and Mental Advantages –how much better your brand performs, relative to category expectations – are the ultimate measures of brand performance. These metrics provide a clear, quantifiable measure of a brand's current health and future growth potential within its category.
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Turning insights into action:
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Hear how Planted successfully moved beyond their data points to create compelling, integrated marketing campaigns based around CEPs. This showcases the vital link between deep consumer understanding and impactful creative execution.
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Prioritizing based on impact:
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Not all CEPs are created equal. Learn how Planted prioritized which CEPs to target by aligning their efforts with the most frequent and influential consumer needs and preferences. When brands strategically choose their CEPs (rather than trying to go after too many) they ensure their resources are used efficiently, driving the greatest return on investment and solidifying their position in consumers' minds.
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Access the full webinar recording below to learn more about Planted and their use of CEPs!
