Share of Voice (SOV)

Definition

Your ad spend relative to your competitors' spending in the same space. Basically, how much of the shouting match you're winning.

Example Usage

Our SOV in paid search is only 15%, but our competitors are spending 3x more than us.

Origin

Media planning and competitive intelligence terminology, standard since traditional advertising

Fun Fact

Brands with high SOV don't always win in ROI—sometimes competitors just spend dumb money and lose faster

Source: Competitive media planning and analysis

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