Share of Voice vs. Share of Screen: What’s the Difference?

The media landscape is crowded. Consumers encounter countless ads across a variety of platforms, apps, and media types throughout the day. For brands, the challenge is to standout, catch and keep attention  and connect with audiences. You’ve got to hustle to attract the eyes and ears of your target audience—and get their business. To win in the attention economy, two key metrics—share of voice (SOV) and share of screen—play an important role in whether brands are seen and heard. And with digital audio, you can get the share you need to meet your marketing goals.

While the two concepts sound similar, they greatly differ. Let’s dive into what these two metrics are, the benefits, the key differences, and how to use both to your advantage.

What Is Share of Screen? 

Share of screen refers to the visual advertising space a brand can occupy at any given moment. The higher the share of screen, the better, meaning that your ad is a primary (or the only) visual element on the user’s device.

With us, you get 100% share of screen with display ads. For example, if you serve a full-page display ad on Pandora when the listener is switching between songs, your ad is the only present visual on the screen at that moment—free from competing messages or clutter. Or, if you deliver a YouTube video ad or video host read, you can rest assured that viewers are locked in on your message. Additionally, our display ads are only served when users are actively engaged, ensuring that your message gets the attention it deserves. 

What Are the Benefits of a High Share of Screen?

A high share of screen offers multiple advantages for both brands and users. Here’s how it can boost your marketing efforts. 

A Spotlight on Your Visual Identity and Messaging 

When your ad commands the entire screen, your brand identity and message are front and center—drawing in undivided attention and leading to higher ad recall and stronger brand association. 

An Uncluttered Environment for Your Ads 

It’s an all too familiar scenario, think about a time you were scrolling through a social media feed or reading a news article on mobile. Throughout the process, various ads and pop-ups came into view and multiple pieces of content were competing for your attention, interrupting the experience. A 100% share of screen gives your creative room to breathe and shine without any clutter or competition. 

High Receptivity and Engagement 

More eyes and ears = more action. Ads that dominate the screen are more likely to be noticed and remembered. With fewer distractions, users are more receptive, which leads to increased engagement, higher click-through rates, and improved conversion metrics—music to any marketer’s ears.

Versatile Display Ad Formats

A high share of screen can deliver results, but it’s not limited to a single format. Advertisers can choose from several display ad products we offer, including display banners and web skins, to tailor their creative to a platform, audience, and campaign objectives. With display banners, brands can deliver reach with visual ad placements across all platforms. With web skins, you can seamlessly integrate your brand and messaging with our app and variety of basic, enhanced, or custom skins. This ad format versatility enables impactful storytelling while staying true to your brand.

Dynamic Video Ad Formats 

Think your message will be told better in motion? We offer multiple video ad products for brands. Interstitial video ads can momentarily take over an app or page with a video that users see before their content starts again. Meanwhile, our video plus solution serves your video when listeners opt in to watching your ad—unlocking more skips or premium features. 

What Is Share of Voice? 

SOV is a metric that evaluates a brand’s presence relative to its competitors. It assesses whether an advertiser is the only brand on a given channel or if others can be a part of it—which helps evaluate both your brand’s visibility and influence within its industry. SOV gives a glimpse into where your brand stands compared to competitors, your market impact, and marketing effectiveness. 

With SiriusXM Media, our video ads offer a 100% SOV and showcase messaging only to users who are actively engaging with our streaming audio platform. That’s efficiency at its finest.

What Are the Benefits of a High Share of Voice?

A high SOV has a positive effect on many aspects of your brand and campaign, from how your audience perceives your brand to your investment’s profitability. Here are reasons why advertisers should be mindful of their brand’s SOV.

A Boost in Brand Loyalty 

A strong SOV indicates that your brand is present wherever your audience is. A consistent presence helps build familiarity, recognition, and trust with your listeners, all of which are powerful brand loyalty drivers. When your brand is top of mind with its target consumers, they are more likely to choose it over competitors.

Better Ad Receptivity 

Digital audio is a prime medium for brands to reach a receptive and enthusiastic audience. They’re tuned in, literally and figuratively—digital audio ads rank 50% higher for ad attention across social media, TV, video, and display benchmarks. Add in a high SOV to receive even greater ad receptivity. When your brand dominates the conversation, your message is more likely to be noticed and remembered.  

More Brand Awareness 

SOV is closely tied to brand awareness. The more visible your brand is, the more likely consumers are to recognize and recall it in the future. And the higher the SOV, the higher the brand awareness. 

Larger SOV Through Digital Audio than Radio 

When it comes to SOV, digital audio channels are unmatched, especially when compared to AM/FM radio. While radio ads have longer ad breaks, streaming audio delivers much shorter ad breaks, personalized targeting, and loyal, engaged listeners—all contributing to a larger SOV. If you want to achieve greater ROI and higher impact with your audio campaigns, digital audio beats traditional radio hands down.

What’s the Difference Between Share of Voice and Share of Screen? 

To recap, while both metrics can be used to measure advertising impact for your brand, they represent two distinct concepts. 

• Share of screen focuses on the visual advertising space your message can occupy on a user’s device. When you think of share of screen, think of display and video ads. And remember, digital audio offers uncluttered visual advertising formats that offer both share of screen and high SOV.

• Share of voice is a more all-encompassing metric that determines your brand’s presence in comparison to others in your industry—and the digital audio environment, with shorter ad breaks and 100% SOV for display and video ads.

When used together, a high share of screen and share of voice can elevate your campaign above other voices. A high share of screen ensures your visual messaging earns undivided attention, while a high SOV guarantees your brand stays a dominant force in the conversation.

Get a Larger Share 

When you partner with us, advertisers can benefit from up to a 100% share of screen and SOV for display ads and video ads. Let your messaging take center stage and earn all the attention it deserves without distractions or dilution. 

Ready to see how partnering with us enhances the effectiveness of your digital audio campaign? Let’s talk.

Learn Even More about Digital Audio Advertising