Share of Voice (SOV)
Your brand’s share of all advertising exposure in a market.
Formula
Variables
Example
Your 2M of 10M market impressions → SOV = 20%
How it works
Share of Voice tells you how much of the total advertising visibility in a market belongs to one brand. It works by comparing your impressions to the combined impressions of all brands, then converting that fraction into a percentage so it is easy to interpret. A higher SOV means your brand is capturing a larger portion of the market’s exposure, while a lower SOV means competitors are getting more visibility.
When to use it
Use this formula when you want to compare brand visibility across competitors in a defined market, channel, or campaign period. It is especially useful in media planning, competitive analysis, and tracking whether your ad presence is growing or shrinking relative to the market.
Worked example, step by step
Suppose your brand received 1.5 million impressions in a month. Total market impressions from all brands were 6 million. SOV = (Your impressions / Total market impressions) × 100 SOV = (1,500,000 / 6,000,000) × 100 SOV = 0.25 × 100 SOV = 25% Your brand has 25% of the market’s ad exposure.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using clicks, reach, or conversions instead of impressions in the formula
- Forgetting to include all competitors in the total market impressions
- Mixing time periods or markets, such as comparing one week of your brand to a full month of the market
Did You Know?
Brands whose share of voice exceeds their market share tend to grow.
Share this formula
More in Media & Data
View allGross Rating Points (GRP)
IntermediateTotal advertising weight of a campaign against the whole audience.
Target Rating Points (TRP)
IntermediateAdvertising weight counted only within the specific target audience.
Television Rating (TVR)
BasicShare of all potential viewers watching a particular programme.
Cost Per Mille (CPM)
BasicThe cost of reaching one thousand impressions.
Cost Per Rating Point (CPP)
IntermediateHow much it costs to buy one rating point of audience.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
BasicPercentage of ad views that result in a click.