Study Shows Share of Voice is One of the Strongest Indicators of Business Growth – Daily Business

It’s been said that brands that are talked about more than their actual market share will maintain a positive growth trajectory. ‘Share of voice’ is your brand’s percentage of visibility, while ‘share of market’ is the brand’s units sold. But how does this appear in practice?

Nielsen’s Share of Voice Insight

The Nielsen Share of Voice Insight study indicates that for every 10 points your SOV exceeds your SOM, your business will grow by 0.5% every year. 

Giants like Coca-Cola and Unilever continually invest in market channels to maintain ESoV, or Excessive Share of Voice. Ford and Toyota align their ad budgets with the market aspirations they have, measuring their SOV against their direct competitors. 

Starbucks uses digital platforms and social influencers to capture conversation dominance over more local chains, creating a digital sound of voice instead of physical visibility. For example, in other sectors, players who find the best bingo offer at Paddy Power do so because the company markets them well. 

Adding branding to each promotion, whether it’s free spins or the chance to spin a prize wheel, increases SOV while actively pushing SOM, ensuring the company maintains ownership in the current market. In technology and SaaS, the same trend is also evident. Salesforce and HubSpot push organic and paid efforts to capitalise on digital search, which pushes AI visibility. 

Using This Marketing Framework in 2026

Market data shows a link between business performance and conversation dominance. Nike secured 94.4% of SOV, for example, while Reebok captured 5.6%. Brands that aim for 30% tend to show a strong presence. 

Apple is another example. They capture roughly 50% SoV during their launch windows, which allows them to maintain premium pricing power. The Android and Apple debate is largely due to the fact that both companies maintain a 50% share, but if Apple increased their numbers, then this would tip the SoM in their favour.

Interestingly, modern marketing isn’t just about directly getting more sales. It’s about maintaining visibility, something that a lot of corporate chains put a big focus on.  

Big food chains like McDonald’s continually advertise their offerings and new releases, even though most people drive past their company and iconic gold arch logo every day. 

The need to market isn’t necessarily there, as the companies are well-known and gain a lot of business from their convenient positioning in bustling community hubs. The reason they continue to market is to stay present in people’s minds and to reinforce their brand, staying relevant with their SoV.

McDonald’s currently has a 21.4% share of the UK fast-food market, and by comparison, other brands like Burger King hold a 1.16% share. The brand doesn’t market as aggressively as McDonald’s and therefore has a lower SoV.

Brands that capitalise on this in 2026-2027 will experience more success. Trends like this also indicate that basing market spend on profitability alone isn’t a solid strategy anymore. Although market spend should be based on a company’s budget, accounting for the total SoV is just as important as accounting for how much profit is being made from each advertisement launched, especially in competitive markets.