Only 16% of Brands Use Category Entry Points as Structural Barriers Slow Adoption

Jul. 09, 2026

A new poll of senior UK marketers conducted by Hearts & Science, an Omnicom Media agency, has revealed that internal structures and entrenched processes are the biggest barrier to the industry adopting Category Entry Points (CEPs) as a shared planning framework.

According to the findings, only 16% of marketers are using CEPs currently. 61% of respondents cite organisational structure and ways of working as the primary obstacles to implementing a CEP-led approach - a model that could be the missing bridge between brand and performance. 

The study also found that 11% admit they simply don’t know how to adopt a CEPs framework, while a further 11% identify a lack of understanding at C‑suite or board‑level as the main blocker.

Simon Carr, chief strategy officer at Hearts & Science said:

"For more than a decade, marketing teams have been split between brand and performance, working to different KPIs, different time horizons and often entirely different definitions of success. CEPs offer a shared planning framework but this poll makes it clear there are structural and process barriers that have built over time into entrenched ways of working that stifle progress."

 

As the cues or situations that trigger consumers to think of a brand within a category or buying situation, CEPs sit at the intersection of brand and performance. They are also measurable, commercially grounded and directly linked to mental availability, which is the strongest predictor of market share, according to the Ehrenberg‑Bass Institute.

Carr concluded:

"The distance between discovering a need and acting on it has effectively collapsed. A creator can spark interest and drive a sale in the same moment, or a retailer app can show you a shoppable solution at the exact point of need. The centuries-old funnel needs a complete rethink from a planning perspective. Category Entry Points planning recognises this new reality. It forces us to plan from the middle outwards for the moments where mental and physical availability overlap - the real moments that drive growth."