The formula
Share of voice = your number ÷ the total of all brands in the category × 100.
Your number can be ad spend, the count of ad spots, mentions on social media or how often you show up in search. Use the same measure for every brand, and the same time period.
A made-up example in rupees
Say five tile brands advertise in one city. This is a made-up example. In one month:
- Your ad spend is ₹3,00,000.
- The other four brands together spend ₹17,00,000.
- The category total is ₹20,00,000.
Your share of voice by spend = ₹3,00,000 ÷ ₹20,00,000 × 100 = 15 per cent.
Now count social media mentions. You have 40 out of 200 mentions in the month. Your share of voice by mentions is 40 ÷ 200 × 100 = 20 per cent. The two numbers answer different questions, so label each one.
Share of voice on screens
Outdoor screens use the term in a second way. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Digital Out-of-Home Buyer's Guide, dated February 2016, says a typical digital billboard has eight slots in a loop, each 8 to 10 seconds long. An advertiser can buy more slots in the loop to gain a larger share of voice. We read it on 9 October 2026, and it describes the United States. Read about DOOH (digital out-of-home).
How to use share of voice in India
- Compare within one city and one language. A national figure hides local gaps.
- Choose the category the way a buyer would. A tile brand competes with other tile brands, not with all home products.
- Measure every month, so you can see the change.
- Put the number next to your share of sales. If your voice is small and your sales are small, a rise in spend may help. If your voice is large and sales are small, the message or the offer may be the problem.
Common mistakes
- A category that is too wide, so the share looks tiny and means little.
- Counting spend for one brand and mentions for another.
- Treating one month as the whole story.
- Forgetting small local rivals.
- Assuming a high share of voice always brings sales.
Spend is set in the plan. Read about media planning.
Related terms
- Media planning: deciding where, when and how often an ad should appear.
- Brand positioning: the clear place your brand holds in buyers' minds.
- Brand equity: the value a known brand name adds to what you sell.
- DOOH: ads on digital screens outside the home.
- Go-to-market: the plan for taking a product to its first buyers.
To see where you stand against rivals, see our competitor research work.
Sources
- IAB Digital Out-of-Home Task Force, "Digital Out-of-Home Buyer's Guide", February 2016 (iab.com), read 9 October 2026. It describes the United States.
