What Is Share of Memory?
Share of Memory measures how frequently AI platforms include your brand in their responses relative to competitors. It's the AI-era equivalent of share of voice — but instead of counting media mentions, it counts how often AI systems "remember" you when answering questions about your category.
The metric matters because AI platforms are increasingly where customers form opinions. When someone asks ChatGPT "what's the best X for Y?", the brands that appear in the answer have share of memory. The ones that don't are invisible.
What 5,600 Queries Reveal About Share of Memory
We analysed 5,600 queries across four AI platforms to understand how brand "memory" actually works. The findings show that share of memory isn't one number — it's four different numbers, depending on which platform you're measuring.
| Platform | Brand Mention Rate | Brands per Response | Where Brands Appear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | 82.5% | 3.4 | 20.2% into response |
| ChatGPT | 74.2% | 2.7 | 17.5% into response |
| Claude | 70.1% | 1.9 | 8.5% into response |
| Google AIO | 42.5% | 1.1 | 21% into response |
Gemini "remembers" brands most generously — 82.5% of its responses include at least one brand, with an average of 3.4 per answer. Google AI Overviews is the most selective, mentioning brands in less than half of responses.
Why Share of Memory Isn't the Same Across Platforms
Claude front-loads brands. When Claude mentions your brand, it does so in the first 8.5% of the response — the earliest of any platform. But it's restrained: only 1.9 brands per response. Claude treats brand mention as a direct answer, not a catalogue of options.
Gemini buries brands in volume. Gemini mentions the most brands (3.4 per response) but introduces them later (20.2% in). It writes 679-word answers and lists alternatives comprehensively. Being mentioned by Gemini carries less weight per mention because there's more competition within each response.
ChatGPT is the most likely to recommend. While mention rates tell you if AI "remembers" your brand, recommendation rates tell you if it endorses you. ChatGPT explicitly recommends brands in 8.9% of responses — 44x more than Google AIO at 0.2%.
The same visibility percentage means different things. A brand appearing in 70% of Claude responses (where it's one of 1.9 brands, mentioned first) has very different share of memory than the same brand appearing in 70% of Gemini responses (where it's one of 3.4 brands, mentioned later). For common reasons brands get excluded, see why brands don't show up in AI answers.
How to Measure Share of Memory
- Track per platform, not blended. A blended average of 67% visibility could mean 82.5% on Gemini and 42.5% on Google AIO. Those are two very different situations requiring different actions.
- Measure by query intent. Our data shows ChatGPT contracts 33% for booking-intent queries and increases hedging 4x. Google AIO uses 4.3x more superlatives on comparison queries. Your share of memory changes based on what customers are asking.
- Compare against competitors on the same queries. Run identical prompts for your brand and competitors across all platforms. Understand the full measurement framework.
- Monitor trends over time. AI models retrain regularly. A brand with high share of memory today may lose it if competitors build stronger authority signals or if models re-weight their sources.
How to Increase Share of Memory
- Understand each platform's citation behaviour. Gemini cites sources in 30.4% of responses. Claude cites in just 8.7%. Build content optimised for the platforms where citation earns the most visibility. Our AI Overviews guide covers platform-specific approaches.
- Build entity authority. Structured data (Organization, Product, FAQ schema) gives AI models clear signals about your brand. This is a "memory hook" that helps AI recall your entity.
- Earn third-party mentions. AI models weight authoritative sources. Citations from industry publications, review platforms, and forums increase the likelihood of being "remembered" in responses.
- Match content to intent. Discovery-intent content should be comprehensive and informational. Comparison content needs clear positioning and specific claims. Booking-intent content needs trust signals.
- Maintain cross-platform presence. Each platform has brand affinities. In travel, ChatGPT favours Airbnb for accommodation. Gemini favours traditional OTAs. Broad distribution increases your chances across all platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Share of Memory varies by platform — from 42.5% (Google AIO) to 82.5% (Gemini)
- Position matters — Claude mentions brands first (8.5% in), Gemini buries them later (20.2% in)
- Recommendations trump mentions — ChatGPT recommends 44x more often than Google AIO
- Intent changes the picture — booking queries trigger different behaviour than discovery queries
- Track per platform, per intent — a blended average hides the truth
Conclusion
Share of Memory is the metric that tells you whether AI systems include your brand in the conversation. The data shows it's not a single number — it varies by platform, by intent, and by how each AI system chooses to surface brands. The brands that track share of memory across all platforms, understand the differences, and build content tailored to each will be the ones that dominate AI-driven discovery.