Perfect, here, means the text-on-screen sequence whose every beat more than half the set shares; silent auto-play means the sound-off test: with the audio gone, is the product named and a claim written on screen? Across 124 tech product ads from 108 companies, uploaded to YouTube between 5 January 2026 and 3 August 2026, the first text lands at a median 0:03, the name at 0:22, a claim line at 0:24, and a logo card closes 83. 72 of 124 pass the test; 38 of the 52 that fail put the name on screen and write no claim, Nooks, HubSpot and Microsoft among them.
188 videos carrying a full visual record were screened against a rule written before intake; 124 qualified, from 108 companies. Every one is a promotional video for a technology product, published on YouTube by the company that sells it, 0:15 to 1:56 in runtime, and uploaded between 5 January 2026 and 3 August 2026. 77 carry a voiceover and 47 run to music only. In this report an ad is one of these short product video ads, whether or not media was bought behind it, and a company is the one whose product it promotes.
ADVIDS Research · 124 tech product ads coded · 108 companies · 1155 timed segments · published 14 September 2026 · 17 min read
Top takeaways
Text reaches the screen by 0:05 in 73 of 124 ads
Text is on screen by 0:05 in 73 of 124 tech product ads uploaded in 2026, at a median 0:03; 23 wait past 0:10, and Airwallex writes nothing until 1:22.
The product name reaches the screen at a median 0:22
The company or product is named on screen in 110 of 124 tech ads, at a median 0:22; the 14 that never write it include Neo4j, Amplitude, Emburse, Google Cloud, etc.
A claim line is written on screen in 82 of 124 ads
A claim line is written on screen in 82 of 124 tech ads, first at a median 0:24; Kroolo writes its first at 0:16, and 42 write none, Microsoft, HubSpot and Apple among them.
Tech ads write a median 40 words on screen
The median tech ad writes 40 words on screen; voiceover ads write 35 while speaking 136, and 2 of 77 write as many words as they speak: Perplexity and Bloomfire.
A logo card closes 83 of 124 tech ads
A brand logo card closes 83 of 124 tech ads, and 25 put a URL or an ask in that closing segment, Proofpoint and Campfire among them.
72 of 124 tech ads pass the sound-off test
72 of 124 tech product ads pass the sound-off test, named on screen with a claim line written out: music-only ads 32 of 47, voiceover ads 40 of 77; Nooks, HubSpot and Microsoft are among the 38 named ads with no claim line.
Questions this report answers
Do tech video ads work with the sound off?
The files show whether the message is on screen, not whether an ad works: 72 of 124 tech product ads uploaded in 2026 name the product and write a claim line on screen. Of the 52 that fail, 38 show the name but no written claim.
How soon should text appear in a video ad?
In 124 tech product ads uploaded in 2026, the first on-screen text lands at a median 0:03, and 101 carry text by 0:10. 45 open on a blank card or abstract ground before the first line, while Drata opens on its first line at 0:00.
When should a video ad show the product name?
Across 124 tech product ads, 110 put the company or product on screen, 34 of them inside ten seconds. Of the 72 ads carrying both a name and a claim line, 32 name first and 32 write the claim first.
How many words should be on screen in a video ad?
Tech product ads in this 2026 set write a median 40 words on screen, with the middle half between 23 and 68. Music-only ads write 50, and voiceover ads write 35 against 136 spoken.
Do tech video ads use burned-in captions?
Rarely: 9 of 124 tech product ads uploaded in 2026 burn captions into the picture, and 8 of those pass the sound-off test. Companies that do include Alloy, BAI Communications, Cegid, Hoogendoorn, etc.
How were these ads measured?
ADVIDS Research screened 188 library videos against a rule written before intake, and 124 qualified from 108 companies. Every on-screen line was read from 858 timed segments under fixed rules, and the coded dataset ships with the report.
The sound-off map
Positions are median shares of runtime, with the median timecode beside each; the median ad runs 1:03. Each beat is carried by more than half the set, and 55 of 124 ads carry all four together.
Each panel is the same 124 ads, shortest at the top, longest at the bottom; the x-axis runs from the first frame to the last. First text clusters at the left edge, the name and the claim spread through the middle, and the logo card sits at the right edge.
The eight most common orders of first appearance
| Order on screen | Ads | Base |
|---|---|---|
| text → name → logo close | 17 | of 124 |
| text → claim → name → logo close | 17 | of 124 |
| text + name → claim → logo close | 11 | of 124 |
| text + name → logo close | 10 | of 124 |
| text → name → claim → logo close | 10 | of 124 |
| text → claim | 8 | of 124 |
| text + claim → name → logo close | 7 | of 124 |
| text + name | 6 | of 124 |
Order of first appearance, beat by beat; a plus sign means two beats share a segment. The two top sequences tie at 17 ads each, so no single order is the set's; the shared part is text first and a logo card last.
How to read this report
- The set is 124 short promotional videos for technology products, read segment by segment for what is written on screen, in six beats from the first text to the sound-off test.
- “N of M” counts ads: N carry the value and M is the base, 124 ads unless the sentence names a smaller group, such as the 77 voiceover ads.
- A timecode is the start of the first coded segment carrying the value, floored to the second; medians carry the median share of runtime beside them, because the ads run 0:15 to 1:56.
Beat 01 · First text · 0:03, 5 per cent of runtime
1. Text reaches the screen by 0:05 in 73 of 124 ads
The first on-screen text in a tech product ad lands at a median 0:03, with the middle half between 0:00 and 0:07: 73 of 124 ads carry text by 0:05 and 101 by 0:10. The opening segment itself carries text in 56 of 124; 45 open on a blank card or abstract ground, 32 on written type, 31 on a picture, 11 on the product interface and 5 on the logo. The first text is set as type in 53 ads, sits inside the interface in 31, lies over a picture in 29 and is a logo card in 11. The screen is written on within the first seconds, one beat after the opening.
Companies with no text before 0:10 include SAP, Airwallex, Arkose Labs, Board, etc. Drata opens on written type: its first line, BUSINESSES RUN ON TRUST, is on screen at 0:00, and its name does not follow until 1:01.
Airwallex writes nothing until 1:22. Its May 2026 Build the Future spot runs 1:30 of black-and-white scenes under a spoken list of inventions, and the only word the coder transcribed on screen is the Airwallex wordmark near the end. Where the spot sells a brand mood rather than a product, the voice carries every word.
Source: ADVIDS Research coded set, 124 ads from 108 companies, uploaded 5 January 2026 to 3 August 2026
The opening segment is empty more often than it is written on; the first line follows a beat later.
Beat 02 · Name on screen · 0:22, 37 per cent of runtime
2. The product name reaches the screen at a median 0:22
110 of 124 tech product ads put the company or product name on screen, at a median 0:22, 37 per cent of the way through; the middle half land between 0:07 and 0:44. 106 write it as text and 4 show only a mark-only logo card. 34 name it inside ten seconds and 46 wait past 0:30. Of the 72 ads that carry both a name and a claim line, 32 name first, 32 write the claim first and 8 put both in the same segment. The name is a mid-ad beat, and it swaps places with the claim as often as not.
Companies never named on screen include Neo4j, Amplitude, Emburse, Google Cloud, etc. Crestron sets its product name as a title card at 0:03, before any other line.
Zoho says Zoho Cliq in its dialogue and never writes it. Its May 2026 Zoho Cliq spot runs 1:07 as a scripted office exchange with 129 spoken words; the only text the coder transcribed is 7 words of meeting and goal labels inside the app. Where the name is said in conversation, the screen is left to the product.
Source: ADVIDS Research coded set, 124 ads from 108 companies, uploaded 5 January 2026 to 3 August 2026
Beat 03 · Claim line · 0:24, 47 per cent of runtime
3. A claim line is written on screen in 82 of 124 ads
82 of 124 tech product ads write a claim line on screen: a statement of three or more words outside the product interface that is not a question, an ask, a label or a problem. The first one lands at a median 0:24, 47 per cent of the way in, with the middle half between 0:08 and 0:46; 21 write it inside ten seconds and 33 wait past 0:30. 48 of the 82 set it as kinetic type or a title card, 9 put it on the logo card and 25 lay it over a picture. 42 write no claim line at all. The claim is written in the middle of the ad, and one ad in three never writes it.
Companies with no claim line on screen include Anthropic, AFL, Alteryx, Apple, etc. Kroolo's first claim line is kinetic type at 0:16: "It doesn't just summarize it executes".
Microsoft writes type and no claim. Its June 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork spot runs 1:31 to music with 53 words on screen, but its type comes in fragments of one or two words and the rest is prompt text inside the app. Where the product is the interface, the interface is left to make the case.
Source: ADVIDS Research coded set, 124 ads from 108 companies, uploaded 5 January 2026 to 3 August 2026
The written claim is spread through the ad; it is not an opening device.
Beat 04 · Words on screen · whole runtime
4. Tech ads write a median 40 words on screen
A tech product ad in this set writes a median 40 words on screen, counting each distinct line once, with the middle half between 23 and 68; a median 18 of them sit outside the product interface. Music-only ads write a median 50 and voiceover ads 35, while the voiceover ads speak a median 136. Text is on screen for a median 83 per cent of runtime and type segments cover 20 per cent: 33 per cent in music-only ads, 14 per cent in voiceover ads. With a voice, the screen writes a fraction of the script: 35 words against 136.
Companies writing 100 or more words on screen include Atlassian, Nexthink, OpenAI, Perplexity, etc. Rho carries its pitch in type over music, 41 words starting with "Receipts live in your inbox" at 0:02.
Bloomfire writes more than it says. Its March 2026 AI answers spot runs 0:32, speaks 62 words and puts 88 on screen, with the questions and answers in its chat panels counted as on-screen text. Where the product's output is text, the demo writes the script.
Source: ADVIDS Research coded set, 124 ads from 108 companies, uploaded 5 January 2026 to 3 August 2026
Beat 05 · Close · 0:51, 90 per cent of runtime
5. A logo card closes 83 of 124 tech ads
83 of 124 tech product ads close on a brand logo card and 91 have the name on screen in the closing segment. A logo card appears somewhere in 92, first at a median 0:51, 90 per cent of the way through, and 5 open on one. The rest close on type (26), a picture (13) or the interface (2). 25 put a URL or an ask in that closing segment. The end card names the company and, in four ads out of five, asks for nothing.
Companies closing with a URL or an ask on screen include Akto, Campfire, Cegid, Celigo, etc. Proofpoint's end card carries the wordmark, "CYBERSECURITY FOR YOUR PEOPLE, DATA, AND AI AGENTS." and its web address at 0:25.
Campfire ends on an address, not a logo. Its March 2026 Ember Agents spot runs 0:49 to music and closes on a title card reading campfire.ai/ember, with no logo card anywhere. Where the ask is to try the product, the address does the logo's job.
Source: ADVIDS Research coded set, 124 ads from 108 companies, uploaded 5 January 2026 to 3 August 2026
The logo card is the close in two ads out of three; what sits beside the mark varies.
Beat 06 · Sound-off test · whole ad
6. 72 of 124 tech ads pass the sound-off test
72 of 124 tech product ads pass the sound-off test: the company or product is named on screen and a claim line is written on screen. 71 pass with the name in text rather than a mark alone. Music-only ads pass in 32 of 47 and voiceover ads in 40 of 77. Of the 52 that fail, 38 name the product but write no claim, 10 write a claim but never name it and 4 do neither. Burned-in captions, which put the voiceover itself on screen, appear in 9 of 124, and 8 of those pass. The claim goes missing where there is a voice to carry it: 37 of the 52 failing ads have one.
Companies named on screen with no claim line include AppsFlyer, Bloomfire, Deel, Deliverect, etc. Hoogendoorn captions each spoken line over its b-roll and passes.
Nooks writes its name at 0:00 and still fails. Its April 2026 AI Sequencing launch runs 0:55 and speaks 155 words to camera; the screen carries the name, feature labels and a Book a demo end card, but no line that says what the product does. Where a founder pitches to camera, the pitch stays in the audio.
Source: ADVIDS Research coded set, 124 ads from 108 companies, uploaded 5 January 2026 to 3 August 2026
Most failing ads show the brand; what they leave off the screen is the sentence about the product.
Benchmarks
Descriptive figures for placing your own tech product ad against the set.
Timing, words and sound
| Measure | Median | Middle half | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runtime | 1:03 | 0:46 to 1:19 | Half the ads run shorter than this; the range is the middle half |
| First text on screen | 0:03 | 0:00 to 0:07 | Start of the first segment with any text |
| Name on screen | 0:22 | 0:07 to 0:44 | In text or as a logo card, across the 110 ads that show it |
| Claim line | 0:24 | 0:08 to 0:46 | First claim line, across the 82 ads that write one |
| First logo card | 0:51 | 0:32 to 1:11 | Across the 92 ads that carry one |
| Words on screen | 40 | 23 to 68 | Each distinct line counted once |
| Words outside the interface | 18 | 8 to 28 | Type, logo cards and overlays only |
| On-screen words per minute | 44 | 21 to 70 | Words on screen over runtime |
| Spoken words, voiceover ads | 136 | 68 to 173 | From captions, across the 77 voiceover ads |
| Runtime with speech, voiceover ads | 79 | 68 to 87 | Share of runtime with speech, per cent |
What most ads skip
| Beat | Ads | Base | Companies include |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captions burned into the picture | 9 | of 124 | Alloy, BAI Communications, Cegid, Hoogendoorn, etc. |
| URL or ask in the closing segment | 25 | of 124 | Akto, Arkose Labs, Atlassian, Board, etc. |
| Name on screen by 0:10 | 34 | of 124 | AFL, Alloy, Anthropic, AppsFlyer, etc. |
| Text on screen before the first spoken word, of voiceover ads | 27 | of 77 | Alloy, Amplitude, Apple, Arm, etc. |
| Claim line by 0:10 | 21 | of 124 | Airia, Alloy, Arm, Dext, etc. |
Beats under the half-the-set floor are listed here rather than mapped.
What to do with this
- Beat 01 If 73 of 124 tech ads carry text by 0:05, write the first on-screen line into the video script before the edit starts.
- Beat 02 If the name lands at a median 0:22 and 14 ads never write it, set the product name as text before the end card.
- Beat 03 If 42 of 124 ads write no claim line, choose the one sentence that has to survive mute and put it on screen as type.
- Beat 04 If the median voiceover ad speaks 136 words and writes 35, decide which spoken lines the screen repeats.
- Beat 05 If 25 of 124 end cards carry a URL or an ask, put the address on the logo card.
- Beat 06 If 72 of 124 pass the sound-off test, watch your cut muted and check two things: the name, and one written claim.
Methodology
| Vertical | Ads |
|---|---|
| devtools | 11 |
| fintech | 11 |
| productivity | 6 |
| ai | 6 |
| martech | 4 |
| cybersecurity | 4 |
| retail | 4 |
| other verticals | 78 |
| Coding scheme | Values | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Text class | type · logo card · interface · picture | From each timed segment's coded motif: kinetic_type and title_card are type; brand_logo_card is the logo card; dashboard, chat, terminal, screen capture, device, notification and chart motifs are interface; every other motif is picture. |
| On-screen line | text | The library coder's transcription of legible text in each segment, split into lines on slashes, semicolons, bars and dashes. It is abridged where text ran long. |
| Name on screen | seconds | A company or product name, as written, in any line of any class, or a brand logo card with or without transcribed text. Name forms are checked per ad. |
| Claim line | seconds | A line of three or more words outside the interface that is not a question, an ask, a URL, an availability line, a legal line, a label list or a problem line. Each ad's first candidate was checked by hand. |
| Problem line | seconds | A statement line carrying a problem cue from a published list: still, manual, slow, chaos, hard, struggle, can't, don't, broken, missing, never, waste, stuck, risk, too many, too much and others. |
| Sound-off test | pass · fail | Pass when the ad is named on screen and carries a claim line. The strict reading needs the name in text, not a logo mark alone. |
| Words on screen | count | Words across each distinct line, counted once per ad. Interface text is included, and the words outside the interface are also reported. |
| Opening and close | type · blank · interface · picture · logo | The class of the first and last coded segment. A blank opening is a type or abstract segment with no text. The close also records a URL or an ask. |
| Sound | voiceover · music only · captions burned in · spoken words | Voiceover or music only comes from audio analysis; burned-in captions are coded from frames; spoken words and the first spoken word come from auto or manual captions. |
| Not coded | cast · surface · altitude · build | The picture dimensions of the ADVIDS trend reports. This report reads text and sound, and does not code them. |
Cite this report
Jai Ghosh, Advids. The Silent Auto-Play Report: We Deconstructed 124 Tech Ads to Find the Perfect Text-on-Screen Formula. 14 September 2026. https://advids.co/blog/silent-autoplay-text-on-screen-formula
About Advids
Advids produces video for AI, SaaS and DeepTech companies. ADVIDS Research publishes coded studies of what those companies ship, with the dataset attached so every count can be checked.
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