Where do buyers think of you first?

Most brands work hard to be seen. But the real question isn't whether customers see you, it's which situations trigger them to think of you. That's what Byron Sharp calls mental availability, and it's built through Category Entry Points.

This self-assessment helps you map where your brand stands across seven dimensions. You get a score per dimension, concrete next steps and a template for your own CEP map.

Time required 15 to 20 minutes
Based on How Brands Grow, Byron Sharp
Stored locally Your answers never leave your browser

Three steps to a clearer picture of your brand's mental availability.

01

Map your CEPs

For each of the seven dimensions, write down the Category Entry Points you think are relevant for your category. You build your CEP map as you go.

02

Score the current state

Two quick questions per dimension. How well do you know the buying situations, and how well does your communication trigger buyers when they're in them?

03

See the result

You get a total score, a view per dimension and concrete recommended actions. Finish with the 3C prioritisation to choose which CEPs you want to own.

Mapping and scoring per dimension

Byron Sharp's research shows that buyers enter a category through specific "doors". Here we walk through seven of them. For each dimension: write down the CEPs you think are relevant, then score your current state.

W

Why

What problem or desire drives the purchase?

The underlying motivation. Snickers owns "I'm hungry and irritated". Volvo owns "I want to drive safely with the family". This is the emotional or functional driver that kicks off the thought process toward your category.

Examples: "I need to feel safe on the journey", "I want to impress guests", "I have to solve this now".

List 2 to 5 underlying motives that drive purchases in your category. Write from the buyer's perspective, not yours.

How well do you know which problems and desires actually drive purchases in your category? (0 = no idea, 5 = thoroughly mapped with data)

Does your communication trigger buyers when they're in these situations? (0 = no, we mostly talk about the product, 5 = yes, we address the motives explicitly in copy and campaigns)

W

When

What time, season or life event?

Time-based triggers. Aperol owns the moment before dinner. Ice cream brands own summer. B2B consultancies own budget cycles and quarter-end. Think both short cycle (day, week) and long cycle (quarter, season, life event).

Examples: "Ahead of Q4 budget", "After a reorganisation", "On Sunday evening", "Before the child starts school".

List the points in time and events when your category becomes relevant.

How clearly do you know when buyers start thinking about the category? (0 = we're guessing, 5 = we have data on the buying cycles)

Are you visible and relevant exactly when buyers are in these situations? (0 = we run the same steady communication year-round, 5 = we adapt our campaign calendar and timing to these moments)

W

Where

Where is the buyer physically?

The physical context where the thought of the category is born. At the office, at home, in the car, while travelling, at the gym. The location shapes both the need and the channel choice for how you reach them.

Examples: "On a flight between meetings", "At the desk with coffee", "In the car on the way home", "At the home office".

Where is the buyer physically when they start thinking about your category?

Do you know where your audience is when the category becomes relevant? (0 = not at all, 5 = we have detailed location data)

Do you reach buyers in exactly those places? (0 = we're not present in their physical or digital environments, 5 = we've proven the connection between place and message)

W

While

What activity is happening at the same time?

The parallel activity. KitKat's "have a break" works because it captures something in progress: in the middle of a meeting, the commute, the workday. The activity shapes both the need and the format of your communication.

Examples: "Mid-way through a long workday", "During a strategy meeting", "On the way to the kids' practice", "While studying".

What is the buyer doing at the same time the thought of the category surfaces?

Do you know which simultaneous activities trigger your category? (0 = no idea, 5 = clearly mapped)

Do you build presence where the activity happens, through partnerships, sponsorships or content? (0 = no connection, 5 = we show up in the same contexts as the activity)

W

With whom

What company or relationship?

The social context around the decision. Whether the buyer is alone, with a partner, with colleagues or with a full leadership team shapes both the message and the decision path. In B2B the decision is rarely individual: map who's in the room.

Examples: "With my business partner", "In a discussion with the IT lead", "With the family around the kitchen table", "With the CFO after the quarterly report".

Who is present when the thought of your category surfaces or is discussed?

Do you know who's involved in the decisions in your category? (0 = we only speak with one contact, 5 = we have the map of decision-makers)

Does your communication address everyone in the decision group? (0 = we only speak to one role, 5 = we have material for every participant)

W

With what

What other products or services are in the picture?

Related products and services that show up in the same situation. Coffee and cake. CRM and marketing automation. This is the door to partnerships, packaging and cross-selling.

Examples: "Alongside an existing CRM", "Next to a strategy meeting", "Combined with a training course".

Which products, services or tools are used at the same time you become relevant?

Do you know which related products or services are in the picture? (0 = not at all, 5 = we have full visibility)

Are you taking advantage of the connection through partnerships, packaging or content? (0 = we stand alone, 5 = we're active across the whole situation)

W

How feeling

What emotional state is the buyer in?

The feeling that triggers the purchase. Snickers owns irritation. Red Bull owns the tingle of excitement. Insurance brands own worry. When you mirror the feeling in copy and imagery, recognition is immediate.

Examples: "Stressed ahead of a deadline", "Curious about something new", "Worried about the risk", "Proud of a breakthrough".

Which feelings drive or colour the buying decisions in your category?

Do you know which emotions drive purchases? (0 = we only talk about function, 5 = we have the customer's emotional journey mapped)

Does your communication mirror the feeling? (0 = we only talk about the product, 5 = copy and imagery capture the feeling so the buyer recognises themselves)

Your answers are saved locally in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Your CEP score and what to do with it

0/100
Mental availability

Summary

The result shows where you stand right now across the seven dimensions. Use it as a discussion base in the leadership team, marketing meetings or the workshop where you decide which CEPs you want to own going forward.

Results by dimension

Concrete next steps

Sorted by priority. The dimensions where you score lowest are the ones that need the most work. The ones where you score highest are about defending and reinforcing.

3C prioritisation: choose which CEPs you want to own

Byron Sharp's research recommends focusing on 5 to 8 CEPs at a time. Too many and you spread thin. Too few and you miss mental availability. Use the 3C model to prioritise across all the CEPs you've written down.

The three Cs

For each CEP you want to prioritise, ask yourself three questions:

Commonality How common is this CEP in the category? High commonality means many buyers experience the situation.
Credibility How credibly can your brand be linked to this CEP? If it stretches too far from what you do, the score drops.
Competitiveness How strong is the competition for this CEP? Weak competition means you can claim it, strong competition takes more.

Your top 5 CEPs to evaluate

Write in five of the CEPs you listed above. Score each one from 1 to 5 per C. The total shows which should be prioritised (15 is max).

CEP Commonality Credibility Competitiveness Total

Done with the prioritisation? Print the full assessment as a PDF for discussion.

Want to do more than an assessment?

CEP mapping is one of the steps in our AI Brand Intelligence, where we build your brand from the ground up with data, AI models and distinctive brand assets. Book a call about what this would look like for you.

Read about AI Brand Intelligence