With the world in constant flux, building a strong brand presence is essential for companies looking to grow. One crucial aspect of this is understanding and harnessing the power of Mental Availability. But what exactly is it, and why should brands focus on it in 2024?

What is Mental Availability?

Mental Availability refers to the extent to which a brand occupies space in consumers’ minds, influencing their purchasing decisions. It encompasses the strength of associations consumers have with the brand and how readily it comes to mind when they consider a product or service category. Unlike traditional brand tracking metrics, which often focus solely on current buyers, Mental Availability metrics also consider non-buyers and brand rejectors. This provides companies with insights into potential growth opportunities and barriers to purchase.

Why should brands care about Mental Availability?

Simply put, it’s about how easily a brand comes to mind in different purchase situations within a specific product or service category. Unlike physical availability, which focuses on accessibility and ease of purchase, Mental Availability emphasizes the brand’s presence in consumers’ minds during relevant purchase moments. It’s akin to being a familiar face in a crowded room.

In today’s competitive market, where consumers are bombarded with choices, being top-of-mind is crucial for brands. Tracking Mental Availability involves measuring metrics such as mental penetration, network size, mental market share, and share of mind. These metrics provide valuable insights into brand recall across different Category Entry Points (CEPs), helping brands understand their positioning and increase their likelihood of being considered by consumers in relevant purchase situations.

For instance, while many people may be aware of a brand like the National Lottery, not everyone immediately considers it for specific needs, such as buying a gift to put into a card. This specific need represents a Category Entry Point (CEP), a key measure of Mental Availability. Understanding these CEPs and measuring the brand’s share of them allows brands to gauge how likely people are to consider their brand compared to others in relevant purchase situations.

Strategies for success

Understanding Mental Availability is only the first step; brands must also take proactive steps to enhance it. Strategies for enhancing it include:

Messaging alignment
Ensuring that brand messaging aligns with the Category Entry Points (CEPs) identified through research. Messaging should resonate with consumers in specific purchase situations, increasing the likelihood of brand recall.

Differentiation
Standing out from competitors by leveraging distinctive brand assets (DBAs) that make the brand memorable and easily recognisable in consumers’ minds.

Targeted marketing efforts
Direct marketing efforts towards reaching consumers during relevant purchase moments. Utilising channels and tactics that resonate with consumers in specific contexts, will increase brand visibility and recall.

Continuous monitoring and adjustments
Regularly monitoring and analysing Mental Availability metrics to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Brands should adjust marketing strategies and messaging as needed to maintain and enhance Mental Availability over time.

In today’s competitive marketplace, understanding and enhancing Mental Availability is crucial for brand success. By focusing on strategies to increase brand recall and presence in consumers’ minds during relevant Category Entry Points, brands can strengthen their positioning and increase their likelihood of being considered by consumers. Through continuous monitoring and adjustment of marketing efforts, brands can stay top-of-mind and drive growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Nepa’s Mental Availability offer

Because we believe Mental Availability is so important, if you sign up to one of our Brand Tracking packages before the end of March 2024, we’ll boost your insights with our Category Entry Points module free of charge. Plus, we’ll throw in a complimentary data deep-dive meeting so you can really make the most of your investment (altogether worth 12,500 EUR)!* Find out more here.

* For Brand Tracking packages over 3,000 EUR / month for a minimum of 12 months, purchased before 01/04/24

AI. New shopping channels. A cost-of-living crisis. The new spending power of Generation Alpha. Market share growth has never been as complicated as it is in 2024. But you can sharpen your competitive edge by building mental availability; ensuring your brand is at the top of mind wherever and whenever a consumer is ready to make a purchase.

This is where Category Entry Points come into play. As defined by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, they are the cues that consumers use to access their memory when making a buying decision, encompassing both internal cues like motives and emotions and external cues like location and time of day. Think Diet Coke with break time.

With a direct correlation between a brand’s market penetration and the number and strength of their Category Entry Points, understanding and leveraging them is essential.

How do you identify your Category Entry Points?

To begin, you need to start with the 7W’s; ‘Why’, ‘Where’, ‘hoW’, ‘With’, ‘When’, ‘While’, and ‘With what’.

– Why

The motive and benefits behind a purchase, for instance to lead a healthier lifestyle or to get a promotion.

– Where

The location of where the product will be used or consumed, for instance when working from home, or on the train.

– hoW

The feelings and emotions behind the purchase, for instance feeling low on energy or stressed.

– With/for whom

The other people who may be involved in the usage or consumption, for instance your partner, or senior management.

– When

The timing of when the product will be used or consumed, for instance every Saturday or at the end of the financial year.

– While

Co-activities that might occur with the usage or consumption, for instance a meeting or filling up your car.

– With what

Other categories that might be purchased or consumed at the same time, for instance socks with shoes or popcorn at the movies.

How do you then prioritise these Category Entry Points?

As consumers have a multitude of entry points into each category, product or brand, you then need to prioritise those that are the most effective for brand growth. This is where we turn to the 3C’s.

– Credible

How credible is your product, brand, or solution in this situation?

– Competitive

How many other brand or business are in competition for this entry point?

– Common

How frequently do buyers find themselves at this entry point?

Those with high credibility, low competition, and high incidence are those that are going to be most valuable. Having high impact, high effectiveness messaging at these points will help create brand memories.

Why should you then track these Category Entry Points continuously?

Identifying your Category Entry Points is only the first step. Once you actively start to build brand memories during these situations, you need to have a system in place to see which messages resonate, and which don’t. And it’s important not to forget that your competitors might also be working on their Category Entry Point memories too.

By measuring continuously, you can quickly and easily view your entire competitive landscape. This makes it simpler to promptly adapt strategies and stay ahead of your competition.

Nepa’s three step approach

1. Discover your brand’s specific Category Entry Points

Using qualitative techniques, we uncover every Category Entry point that might lead a consumer to your category. Generative AI is used to identify, validate, and analyse the data to minimise the risks of bias.

2. Quantify and prioritise your key Category Entry Points

A quantitative deep dive identifies the strength of your brand’s current Category Entry Points, and which ones should be focused on to drive growth in the market.

3. Monitor the development of your Category Entry Points

Both your brand and your competitors Category Entry Points are continuously tracked in our Brand Tracking dashboard, so you can make timely, informed decisions to grow your market share.