Study Links Brand Awareness to Market Share Growth

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, August 31, 2026 | 10:49am CT

Cumulus Media and Westwood One

A new study from Google and brand tracking firm Tracksuit finds that increasing brand awareness can produce measurable gains in consumer search activity and, ultimately, market share, according to an analysis from Cumulus Media and Westwood One's Audio Active Group.

The research examined 31 brands across 15 categories, with Tracksuit conducting ongoing measurements of awareness, consideration and preference while Google calculated each company's "share of search."

Share of search measures searches for an individual brand as a percentage of searches for brands in its competitive category. The Audio Active Group compares the concept to radio audience share, in which listening to one station is measured against total listening in the market.

The Google-Tracksuit research found that brands with higher awareness generally commanded a greater share of search, suggesting that awareness is more than a traditional branding metric and can serve as an indicator of commercial intent.

The impact was particularly pronounced among smaller brands. A 2.5-point increase in awareness generated approximately 3.75 points of share-of-search growth for small brands, compared with about one point for medium-sized brands and half a point for large brands. Overall, the study found every five points of awareness growth translated into five points of share-of-search growth.

The findings suggest smaller and growth-stage brands could benefit most from investing in brand marketing early. For more established brands, the emphasis shifts toward maintaining top-of-mind awareness and influencing consideration and preference.

The analysis also cites marketing effectiveness researcher Les Binet's work showing that share of search can act as a leading indicator of changes in market share. His research found that rising share of search preceded market share growth, while declining search share predicted market share erosion.

The amount of lead time varied by industry. Binet found changes in automotive share of search could precede market share movements by 12 months, compared with six months for mobile phones and three months for power utilities.

Advertising also produced both immediate and longer-term effects on search activity. According to Binet's research, about two-thirds of advertising's impact on search occurs over the long term, compared with roughly one-third in the short term.

The findings support the argument that sustained brand advertising can create demand well beyond the period in which a campaign is running, with greater awareness leading to increased search activity and potentially greater future market share.

Read the complete Audio Active Group blog here.