Category Entry Points: the growth tool most scale-ups aren’t using
- Diego Chicharro
- Mar 17
- 6 min read
We see scale-ups frequently going through the same process.
The product works. Revenue is growing. Marketing is busy. Performance channels are optimised within an inch of their lives.
And then something subtle happens.
Customer acquisition costs creep up. Growth becomes harder to sustain. The same audiences get targeted again and again.
At this point, most companies assume the problem is tactical. Maybe the creative needs refreshing. Maybe the targeting needs tweaking.
But often the real issue is simpler.
The business hasn’t expanded the moments when people think about it.
In advertising strategy, those moments are called Category Entry Points. And they are one of the most powerful, and underused, growth tools available to scaleups.
What is a Category Entry Point?
A Category Entry Point (CEP) is a situation or need that triggers someone to think about buying in your category.
Not the brand. The category. For example:
“I need something refreshing after exercise.”
“I need to send money abroad.”
“I feel tired and need an energy boost”
These moments are the mental doorways into a category.
People rarely think about brands in isolation. They experience situations. And when those situations arise, the brands associated with them come to mind.
The more entry points your brand is linked to, the more chances you have to be chosen.
Research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute consistently shows that brand growth largely comes from increasing mental availability. Being easy to think of in buying situations.
How big brands use them
At Publicis Groupe I used this approach with large brands that needed to find new ways to expand, often with limited and stagnating budgets.
Take Buxton Water for example.
Buxton wanted to move beyond its core audience buying large packs at the back of the store, where it was competing mostly on price. The goal was to reach a more profitable audience picking up single bottles on the go.
The key entry point wasn’t simply “I’m thirsty.” It was “I’m on the go, stressed and need a pick-me-up.”
That meant stealing share not only from mineral water, but from soft drinks and even energy drinks.
“Don’t just hydrate your body, hydrate your mind” reframed Buxton as hydration for both body and mind. The strategy shaped partnerships with Mind, The Independent and the London Marathon, as well as a push into travel outlets where people want a quick lift.
Buxton became the No.1 British mineral water and the No.1 soft drink in travel outlets, beating even Red Bull in its natural space.
Where scaleups get stuck
Scale-ups can grow by dominating one powerful, overlooked, and often very concrete CEP.
A fintech brand might own “I want to send money abroad but I’m putting it back because I hate the process”
A sports drink might make you feel " active and energised, even when you’re not on the field.”
A SaaS company might own “dealing with staff members complaining about how complicated the new project management tool is”
That focus fuels early growth.
But eventually the same thing happens. The original audience saturates, performance marketing gets more expensive, and growth slows.
This is where CEP thinking becomes powerful.
The real question becomes identifying the other moments where the brand should exist.
How growing brands can use CEPs
Some of the fastest-growing brands have expanded by doing exactly this.
Oatly didn’t just position itself as a dairy alternative. It expanded the moments when oat milk made sense.
Coffee culture became a major entry point through baristas and cafés. Later the brand expanded into breakfast, smoothies and cooking.
By linking the brand to more everyday situations, Oatly moved from niche to mainstream.
Liquid Death looks like a canned water brand, but its real strategy is owning social occasions. Concerts, festivals, late nights, places where people want a healthier alternative.
Instead of competing only in hydration, it expanded the moments when water made sense. That thinking helped turn it into a multi-billion-dollar brand.
Monzo initially grew through a clear entry point: travel spending without fees.
But the neon orange card created another one. Status signalling when paying in social situations.
From there the brand expanded into budgeting, saving, salary management and joint accounts. Each new moment increased the occasions people interacted with the brand.
Finding growth through CEP mapping
Inside global agencies, strategists often build what is called a CEP map.
It’s a simple but powerful exercise.
First, map the key moments when customers enter the category. For example a breakfast cereal might tap into these CEPs:
A healthy morning ritual
Feeling lethargic and needing an energy boost
Using it as an ingredient for cooking
An on-the-go snack
Eating it with your children
A post-workout indulgent meal
Then look at which moments your brand currently owns.
The biggest growth opportunities usually sit in the unused entry points, especially those that stretch beyond the current category and allow you to steal share elsewhere.
That map becomes a blueprint for growth. It reveals where new audiences exist and where the next stage of demand might come from.
The hidden advantage to scale-ups of big-agency thinking
The irony is that most scaleups never see this kind of planning.
Category Entry Points are common practice inside large global agencies. But founders building high-growth businesses rarely get access to that level of strategic thinking.
They usually work with performance agencies or internal teams focused on execution, so the bigger strategic levers often get overlooked.
The companies that scale fastest tend to combine scaleup speed with big-agency strategic frameworks and a clearer understanding of where growth actually comes from.
Why investors should care
Category Entry Points aren’t just a marketing concept. They signal growth headroom.
If a business relies on a single use case, the ceiling is limited. But if a brand expands into multiple buying situations, the growth curve changes.
For investor portfolios, Category Entry Point strategies can help:
Unlock new audiences
Increase brand salience
Strengthen the growth story before exit
In short, Category Entry Points expand the growth ceiling of the business.
It’s time we started bringing this thinking into the scale-up world.
About the author
Diego Chicharro
Partner OSER & Brand Strategist
Diego has repositioned P&O ferries, found a source of profitable growth for Buxton water & designed a winning category 'moment' for Heineken. A brand strategist and effectiveness expert with 17 years’ experience building some of the UK’s and the world’s best-known brands. Diego writes about brand effectiveness for WARC & was recently Head of Effectiveness at Publicis London, helping deliver industry-recognised work across the IPA, Effies and Marketing Week. Diego helps scale-ups apply big-brand thinking without big-company complexity, aligning positioning, creativity and spend to drive growth.
Frequently Asked Questions About Category Entry Points
What is a Category Entry Point in marketing?
A Category Entry Point (CEP) is a situation or moment that triggers someone to think about buying in a category. For example, “after a workout,” “a quick breakfast,” or “sending money abroad” are all Category Entry Points. Brands grow when they become mentally associated with more of these buying moments. The more situations your brand is linked to, the more often it will come to mind when customers are making decisions. Research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute shows that expanding these mental links is one of the most effective ways to drive long-term brand growth.
Why are Category Entry Points important for business growth?
Category Entry Points expand the number of occasions when a brand can be chosen. Many companies grow early by dominating one entry point, but growth often slows when that audience becomes saturated. Expanding into additional buying situations allows brands to reach new audiences and increase mental availability. This is why global advertising agencies use Category Entry Point mapping as a core strategic planning tool.
When should scaleups start thinking about Category Entry Points?
Most companies begin exploring Category Entry Points once they reach early scale. A typical pattern looks like: £1m–£5m revenue - focus on owning one strong audience or use case, £5m–£15m revenue - begin exploring adjacent entry points, £15m+ revenue - actively expand the brand across multiple buying moments For many scaleups, the need for this thinking appears when customer acquisition costs begin rising and growth plateaus.
How do Category Entry Points increase brand demand?
Category Entry Points increase mental availability, which means the brand is easier to recall in buying situations. Instead of relying on customers already searching for your brand, CEP strategies link the brand to more everyday moments. Over time this increases the probability that the brand will be considered and chosen. This principle is supported by research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and effectiveness studies from organisations such as the IPA.
What is the difference between positioning and Category Entry Points?
Positioning defines how your brand is different. Category Entry Points define when people think about your brand. Both are important for growth. Positioning helps a brand stand out, while Category Entry Points expand the number of moments where the brand becomes relevant. The strongest growth strategies align both.
How can Category Entry Points increase company valuation?
For investors, Category Entry Points indicate how much growth headroom a business has. Companies tied to one audience or use case have a natural growth ceiling. But brands that can expand into multiple buying situations can access larger demand pools. This makes Category Entry Point strategies particularly useful for investor portfolios looking to accelerate growth before exit.
How does OSER help scaleups use Category Entry Points?
At OSER, Category Entry Point mapping is used as part of our growth strategy work with founders, CEOs and investor portfolios. We analyse the buying situations that drive demand in a category, identify the moments your brand currently owns, and uncover the entry points that represent the biggest growth opportunities. This approach combines global agency strategic frameworks with practical scale-up growth planning.
