Hakuhodo DY Group Updates Category Entry Point (CEP) Analysis Function in 'STRATEGY BLOOM PLANNING' to Help Brands Identify Consumer Triggers

Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hirotake Nishiyama) and Hakuhodo Technologies Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shin Nakamura) have updated 'STRATEGY BLOOM PLANNING,' a product within the integrated marketing platform 'CREATIVITY ENGINE BLOOM,' to enhance its 'Category Entry Point (CEP) Analysis' function. By strengthening the data foundation and visualizing CEPs—the 'triggers' that lead consumers to consider a specific category—the update helps accelerate decision-making in marketing communication strategy planning.

■ Background

The business environment is changing rapidly due to factors such as population decline, market maturation, and shifts in consumer behavior. For many companies, the importance of accelerating investment in growth areas and maximizing the return on investment in existing markets is increasing, making the improvement of marketing effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the strengthening of proposal capabilities, an urgent challenge.

Under these circumstances, 'CEP' is gaining attention as an analytical method for identifying new growth areas for brands. CEPs are the 'triggers' that lead consumers to consider a specific category in their daily lives. By identifying CEPs and expanding and strengthening their links to a brand, it becomes possible to target new purchasing contexts and acquire new customers. However, because deriving appropriate CEPs for a brand and accurately capturing the moments when a consumer's heart is moved requires specialized expertise and significant analysis time, there has been a demand for both standardizing this knowledge and increasing the speed of the process.

■ Overview of Functional Updates

This product consolidates and standardizes the expertise of Hakuhodo DY Group employees engaged in CEP analysis. By significantly updating the CEP analysis function of 'STRATEGY BLOOM PLANNING,' expanding preset survey data by industry, and providing visualization through a proprietary UI, the platform enables users to efficiently and effectively identify and evaluate metrics. This supports CEP selection and contributes to the efficiency and sophistication of marketing activities.

Update to CEP Analysis Function

A new UI has been implemented that visually displays metrics such as 'Mental Advantage & Mental Disadvantage,' which indicate the relative strength or weakness of a brand within a CEP. By enabling diverse perspectives through simple operations, it contributes to faster analysis and decision-making.

Expansion of Industry-Specific Preset Survey Data

Additional research has been conducted to include preset survey data covering dozens of categories, enabling flexible CEP analysis for a wide range of client companies.

Incorporation of Expert Knowledge

Hakuhodo has launched a specialized project to research evidence-based marketing, including CEPs, while simultaneously implementing it for many client companies to accumulate specialized knowledge and know-how. This expertise has been incorporated into 'STRATEGY BLOOM PLANNING.'