Online platforms, television networks and radio services distribute thousands of messages every day to consumers around the world. Understanding a brand’s presence in the market amidst the noise can help them better understand their audience as well as potential challenges and advantages over their competitors. 

Conducting and analyzing a brand’s Share of Voice (SOV) can begin to reveal how effectively a brand resonates with audiences compared to its competitors. Whether launching a new product line, managing a crisis or simply aiming to boost brand awareness, mastering SOV can provide crucial insights and strategies for success. To effectively use SOV, however, brands must understand what SOV is, assess their current standing and appreciate the potential impact their brand position may have.

1. Defining SOV: SOV refers to the percent of media coverage a brand receives compared to the total media coverage in their industry for a period of time¹. Consider all the companies in one industry as a full pie, where each company’s media coverage represents a slice. If one brand’s media coverage is a big slice, it means they have a high SOV, showing that they dominate more of the conversation at that time. Only 37% of public relations (PR) professionals understand and utilize earned media SOV to support their clients’ brands²; and while basic SOV metrics (e.g. number of clips, potential audience) may not tell the whole story, an expert will do a deeper analysis to provide more context. [RR¹] It is important to note that SOV is not a one-time analysis: SOV should be conducted frequently and consistently as the media landscape changes daily.
2. Brand position: Conducting SOV analysis for a brand provides insights on how much visibility their messages are receiving in comparison to their competitors. Brands with a larger SOV reach larger audiences ³. Aside from providing insights on brand visibility, SOV analyses can also shed light on industry perception. Having the largest SOV when the news is neutral or good can be positive for a brand; but having the largest piece of the pie when sentiment is negative means that more people have higher visibility of the negative things about a brand, which can damage the brand’s reputation or even turn a negative story into a full-blown PR crisis.
3. Understanding the impact: Experts who understand the impact of SOV can provide educated insights for all levels of the mar-comm spectrum; from strategic planning to crisis management. Comparing the amount of publicity and audience exposure allows brands to understand where they should allocate their resources – like focusing on pitching outlets that offer the most favorable coverage or investing time in those that provide a greater reach to target audiences. Consistent SOV analysis can help brands acknowledge and address positive and negative stories and gauge the media’s – and potential customers’ – interest.

Conducting and analyzing SOV can be a big undertaking, but the data-driven decisions that can be drawn from doing so provides better insights on the brand’s position compared to competitors and can significantly impact marketing and communication efforts. Consumers see thousands of media messages daily⁵, SOV analysis can help a brand understand where they fit into the bigger picture.

At JDPR, we invest heavily in third-party software to measure and report on SOV. We are experts in providing guidance on how to move beyond the numbers and we dedicate efforts to improving our clients’ influence in the market. To learn more about JDPR, SOV and how we can help your business, fill out the Contact Us page or email us at info@jdpr.com.