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F7-09·F7 — Communications Strategy

ESOV and Share of Voice

The productive tension

Market shareandshare of voice

The synthesis

Growth requires over-investing relative to your size. Brands whose share of voice exceeds their share of market tend to grow; those whose share of voice falls below their share of market tend to shrink. ESOV is the gap between the two, and managing it is the single most reliable lever for long-term market share growth. The false dichotomy is between "spend to your size" and "spend to your ambition." The evidence-based answer: spend to your ambition, but anchor that ambition in the evidence on ESOV.

Learning objectives

  • Define share of voice, share of market, and excess share of voice (ESOV)
  • Explain the empirical relationship between ESOV and market share growth
  • Articulate why smaller brands must overspend relative to their market share to grow
  • Connect ESOV to the Binet & Field 60/40 framework
  • Evaluate whether the ESOV principle holds in digital environments
  • Calculate ESOV and construct a business case for communications investment

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