Optimize: Real-Time Split Testing & Content Optimization Tool
Digital channels transformed marketing by enabling truly data-driven decisions. The statistically-sampled Nielsen households of the TV and radio era are passé; marketers at any scale have direct 1:1 data to guide their efforts.
Email is perhaps the most direct of all digital channels, but mainstream practice in most email platforms has a problem: testing email content by sending email campaigns is relatively slow and relatively expensive. Selecting segments, setting up contrasting templates, and sending campaigns takes time. Waiting for results to determine winners takes time. Measuring all of the content in A/B campaigns with single metrics for open and click is a laborious approach that makes the clock-cycle of testing relatively slow.
There’s a better way.
Real-time content allows for real-time testing, real-time data, and automatic optimization. Real-time allows for A/B/N, many variants of a single content element, all in the same send. Open/view and click data is available immediately. Perhaps most exciting, optimization can be handled “in-flight”, switching campaign content after send to maximize results.
The Optimize tool gives marketers a no-code, drag-and-drop method to utilize real-time testing and optimization within the email editor.
This white paper covers the key capabilities, theories and options available.
1 INTRODUCTION
The Real-Time Toolbox from Campaign Genius delivers a wide range of real-time content capabilities inside the email editor. Email marketers can incorporate real-time into their workflow, free from technical integration projects, external solutions and high-cost professional services. It fundamentally extends the capabilities of email platforms, bringing the inherently real-time elements of Internet email into the marketing mix without technical re-architecting.
By design, each of the tools in the Toolbox focuses on exploiting a single aspect of real-time deeply. The Optimize tool focuses on content variants — split-testing and optimizing for results. The Geo tool focuses on content by recipient place, delivering targeted content by-location, or by location geo-demographic characteristics, such as household income. The Schedule tool provides precise control for real-time content-switching.
This single-focus approach is akin to the Unix philosophy for code; simple, clear and modular things done well. It provides an onramp into real-time for email marketers. Over time, like Unix and Lego, more complex capabilities will be constructed on these focused building-blocks.
In addition to controlling content delivery and hyperlink targeting, the Toolbox provides real-time content metrics. Each collection of content managed by a tool — ‘content template’ — is available in the email marketer’s History tab. History items put the content back in the editor for additional real-time change and modification. They also put the key metrics from the real-time data flow at the marketer’s fingertips, right within the email editor.
1.1 Real-Time Content
Every email client in common use — billions of them — supports real-time email content.
‘Real-time’ means just what it says; content that is live and updated at the moment of open. Conventional email use has focused on send-time content, but vendors like Campaign Genius, Movable Ink and Liveclicker have successfully delivered billions of real-time messages.
Real-time content (sometimes called “live content”) does not involve email client scripts, additional or proprietary technologies, new scripting, new languages, nor in fact any technical changes to email and CRM platforms. Instead, real-time utilizes live image-tag updates and hyperlink redirects.
Billions of email clients have the capability to handle real-time content built in; it just hasn’t been widely used. Oracle’s CX Marketing team had this to say:
In fact, because of live content’s unique benefits, Oracle Marketing Consultants consider it to be a low adoption–high impact email marketing trend, which means that using live content offers not only significant benefits but also a competitive advantage. [1]
The technical standards enabling real-time content are utilized across the martech landscape already. Open rates and click reports are built on these same standards, but with a more limited purpose with no customer/content impact.
With constantly-escalating demands for recipient attention, real-time provides a natural evolutionary path for email marketing. People are wired for visual communication; society is becoming ever-more-real-time. The theoretical capability for real-time has been in place for decades; now marketers are starting to discover the advantages of finally putting it to use.
1.2 Real-Time vs Send-Time
Many advanced email and CRM platforms deliver time-of-send content selection. While send-time content selection widens the content palette for marketers, it does not address the same problems, or change email capabilities, in the same way as real-time.
1.2a Send-Time disadvantages
· Limited to in-platform query data, typically list-centric and flat.
· No mechanism to update content after send.
· Send-time graphics compositing is not available in any major ESP or CRM.
· Send-time processing requires additional server capacity.
1.2b Real-Time advantages:
· Real-time content combines list and segment data with in situ on-open data.
· Marketers can perpetually modify content and hyperlink destinations.
· Real-time platforms provide full on-the-fly delivery of data-driven graphics.
· Recipients’ email client device issues requests.
1.3 Integration Considerations
· Campaign Genius real-time content requires no IT integration or data exports.
· Recipient data is transmitted via ‘merge fields’ in each email message.
· Image and link requests from email clients relay recipient-specific data to real-time engine.
· Content design remains “live”; templates can be changed after send.
1.4 Email Client Support
All major email clients, including standard corporate email systems, support the HTML email body part. While email HTML has limited CSS support and no scripting, image and link content is handled on the cloud side of the HTTP ‘fetch’. Certain clients, including Gmail, utilize proxy servers for image fetch. This mainly affects geolocation, but does not affect personalization or real-time content updates.
1.5 Design Limitations
Real-time content comprises image tags and hyperlinks. Images can include any mix of text (static and dynamic), background, and composited visuals. Recipients can read text-on-image copy just as well as body copy, with the benefit of more fonts and design options. Campaign Genius provides dynamic control of background images, animations, static/dynamic text and picture-on-picture compositing.
1.6 Limitations of Real-Time
· Real-time content updates are “on-open”; messages left open will not update.
· Content design must account for static body copy and real-time messaging.
· While offline email is increasingly rare, real-time content depends on live Internet
· Clients who turn off default “view with images” settings will see static <alt=”” content.
The marketing technology ‘landscape’ comprises some 8,000 different companies circa 2020. Many hundreds crowd into the formal email marketing corner; thousands more handle email in some form.
Despite the age and well-settled standards involved, email is not a monolithic function. Different layers of the email “stack” — editing, authoring, content management, message transfer, deliverability and others — are complex enough to be ecosystems of their own.
The Toolbox introduces a new piece to the martech puzzle. While legacy, standalone real-time content solutions have been available for over a decade, they have struggled for mass adoption. Technical complexity, habit and the sheer workload of email marketing are a few of the key obstacles. By adding real-time content into the editor via simple, no-code integration, martech platforms can offer real-time without expending development cycles.
The Toolbox is available as a direct Javascript ‘plugin’ for email editors. Implementation is simple, and a range of partnering/revenue models are built in.
Platforms utilizing 3rd party editors also have an option. The BEE Plugin — the most widely-licensed email editor — offers the Real-Time Toolbox as an AddOn.
2 Real-Time Toolbox Overview
This snapshot of the current tools (Q1 2021) provides a glimpse of the other capabilities available, to give context to a more in-depth discussion of Optimize.
2.1 Content-Set Targeting Tools
These tools allow marketers to direct a set of content alternatives (paired images + links) in real-time. They all share a very similar interface. Marketers can upload or drag/drop a set of images onto the tool, and set a hyperlink destination for each image. A templated set is assigned a single URL for image delivery, and a matching URL for link redirects. This single URL is inserted into the email template. The images are delivered as-configured when emails are opened.
The configuration of these tools is “live.” An email marketer can return to History, retrieve a set, and change the configuration. Future deliveries are altered as soon as the changes are saved. For example, each content row (image + link) has a left-side checkbox. If the checkbox is cleared (un-checked), that content is removed from use. If re-checked, that content goes back into use.
Each of these tools also offers the capability of configuring delivery for 2 sets of content at once; one group for mobile devices, and another for non-mobile devices. This is controlled row-by-row with a checkbox labeled “mobile only.” If 6 rows are populated, and 2 are flagged “mobile only”, content delivery on mobile devices (on-request) will come from the set of 2, and non-mobile devices from the set of 4.
Each set is saved in user History. High-level stats are fed back into the History item in real-time; a marketer can return to their History from any point in the email editor to check on real-time progress.
2.1a Schedule Content with ‘Schedule’
The Schedule tool allows marketers to decide what content shows up when — in short, to schedule it. Schedule is granular down to the minute, and is set with a simple calendar-picker control. The scheduled date/time is absolute, based on the local time of the user. If the green backpack goes online at midnight Eastern time, it will go online at 11 Central / 10 Mountain and so on. (Recipient-relative time zone targeting is on the roadmap.)
Two sets of content — one for mobile, one for non-mobile — can be configured via ‘mobile only’ checkmark.
2.1b Live Testing & Optimization with ‘Optimize’
The Optimize tool is discussed in-depth in this white paper. It provides live split-testing and automated switch-to-winner optimization options.
2.1c Geotargeting & Geo-demographics with ‘Geo’
The Geo tool delivers content targeted to the location of the recipient, as reported by the IP address of the image request. Location targets are designated with ISO-3166-standard country codes (US, GB, DE, etc). This can be further refined with lower-case region codes (AUS-nsw, AUS-sa, US-ca, US-wa). A default * is sent to all non-designated requests. The Geo tool also provide geo-demographic targeting in the US. Targeting is based on decile divisions of 12 different statistics, including population, age, family size, household income. See separate white paper on Geo Targeting for a more in-depth discussion.
As with other Content Targeting tools, availability is controlled via checkbox, and mobile/non-mobile sets can be designated with the ‘mobile only’ setting.
Accurate recipient addressing for Gmail/GSuite users is based on Google’s handling of image requests. Google currently opts to route image requests through common proxy servers in major metro areas. (See Appendix 1 – Gmail Issues.) A technical solution to this has already been identified, and is on the roadmap for a future release.
2.1d Language Targeting with ‘Language’
The Language tool matches content to the language settings of the email client requesting content. Language preferences are part of the HTTP standard; language preference values are included in HTTP request headers. Depending on device and configuration, language preferences may be singular or multiple-with-weighting:
Accept-Language: fr-CH, fr;q=0.9, en;q=0.8, de;q=0.7, *;q=0.5
As above, row availability is controlled via checkbox, and mobile/non-mobile sets can be designated with the ‘mobile only’ setting.
2.2 Active Content Tools
This group of tools provide a range of data-driven content. Some update based on recipient conditions; some on remote conditions, and others on time-based data.
2.2a Package Tracking with ‘Tracking’
This tool provides real-time updates of tracking status for a single package. 18 carriers are currently supported, including the major US carriers UPS and Fedex. Additional template designs can be requested and will generally be added relatively quickly.
2.2b Animated Countdowns with ‘Timers’
This tool provides one of the most common real-time content forms, countdown timers. The Toolbox version provides color control, a range of styles and format options (GIF or animated PNG). A wide range of configurable dynamic parameters are built in to facilitate use in triggers and automation. See separate white paper “Countdown Timers” for more detail.
2.2c Live AccuWeather from ‘Weather’
The Weather tool pulls real-time data from AccuWeather, the leading commercial weather service. Templates can be configured for a fixed address, or can deliver recipient-location-based weather. Current designs and configurations include conditions, 1-day forecast and 5-day forecast. Location can also be merged in dynamically on-send — for example, to provide travellers with destination conditions.
2.2d Live Tweets with ‘Twitter’
The Twitter tool accepts a Twitter @handle, and returns the latest tweet from the designated account. Media elements, logos, and like/retweet counts are included in the final image. Use cases include email signatures, and “re-purposing” company Twitter content to make email current and dynamic.
2.2e Fixed or Recipient location with ‘Maps’
The Maps tool provides a streamlined, in-the-editor interface to configure Google Maps images. Users control map size, style and a few other essential parameters. As with weather, location can be designated, merged on-send, or matched to recipient’s reported geolocation.
2.2f Webpage Snapshots with ‘Webshots’
“Webshots” render a web page into an image. Images are updated daily. Use cases include commercial situations, such as “current sale” pages; news, sports scores, or other frequently-changed page content.
2.3 Visual Resources
2.3a Royalty-Free Photos
The Photos tool puts over 5 million royalty-free images from Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay at marketer’s fingertips. Photographer credits are provided, and automatically inserted into the ALT tag field. Editing provides on-the-fly resizing; image size can also be adjusted dynamically via parameter.
2.3b GIFs and Stickers from ‘Giphy’
The Giphy tool provide search access to the largest GIF and sticker collection available. Images can be resized in the editor, or dynamically within email templates.
2.3c Thumbnails from ‘YouTube’
The YouTube tool handles the time-consuming manual job of capturing YouTube thumbnails by working directly with the YouTube API. Thumbnails can be captured as static JPGs. The tool also offers the option to generate an animated GIF preview of the video. (Caveat: video length and processing time prevent some videos from rendering as GIFs.)
2.3d Icon Library
The Icon Library tool is currently unavailable, due to legal concerns regarding ambiguities in the original provider’s API license. Other sources are being reviewed.
3 Optimize Tool
Optimize combines real-time content delivery, data correlation and redirection to give marketers unprecedented new speed and control over content optimization. While the tool is simple to configure and use, the impact of real-time testing and real-time optimization merits forethought and planning.
3.1 Content Sets
Like other tools in the Content Set group, Optimize allows marketers to add 2 or more “sets” (image + hyperlink). Images can be dropped or clicked singly, or in a simultaneous group. Each added image generates a configuration row. In the example above, Row 1 (green backpack) and Row 2 (red backpack) are visible.
Each Optimize row provides 3 configuration controls:
· Availability Checkbox
· Mobile Checkbox
· Row Hyperlink
(1) Availability Control
The Availability control is the master On/Off switch for a content row. If checked, the row is included in the sample set; if un-checked, it is dropped from the sample set. While this is a simple concept, it is critical to note that Availability is “LIVE”. Un-checking a row and saving the template will remove that row from rotation immediately. Re-checking the row will restore it rotation. Sporadic switching of content availability will skew statistic conclusions. To keep the interface simple, no audit/history of availability is provided — so use Availability with a clear purpose in mind.
Once an image is added to a set, it cannot be deleted from the set. Data-tracking and statistics would be compromised. Simply make the row unavailable, and it will be effectively gone from the content rotation.
(2) Mobile-Only: 2 Sets In One
Optimize allows configuring delivery for 2 sets of content at once; one content-set targeted at mobile devices, another for non-mobile.
The question ‘is this a mobile device’ is convoluted and non-linear. The approach used in the Real-Time Toolbox is based on the “User-Agent” string included in the HTTP request for an image. User-Agent is a ubiquitous but “loose” HTTP standard; text usually describes browser compatibility, OS platform, mobile, and additional attributes such as Gecko and Firefox.
Examples:
Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X x.y; rv:42.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/42.0
Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 13_5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/13.1.1 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1
Estimates of the number of User-Agent strings range from tens of thousands to millions; there is no authoritative registry moderating use.
Campaign Genius utilizes the market-leading API to resolve User-Agent strings. The determination “mobile or not” is, of course, a vast simplification; is an iPad on a 4G network a mobile device, or not? What about a tablet? Phablet? Smart TV? For purposes of optimization, we use the external API determination of whether a given requestor is “mobile.” The question of how to use this is the more interesting.
The “mobile-only” checkbox gives the marketer the freedom to designate 2 alternative sets of content — one set for mobile devices, one set for other devices. The logic flow is roughly this:
· Image request is received from a device
· IP address of the request is noted
· Request parameters are parsed for email address or UID (user ID)
· HTTP Header ‘User-Agent’ string is submitted to the external user-agent API
· API result “mobile or not” is included in the results.
· If the API result = ‘mobile device’:
· The set of content flagged “Available” is collated.
· Past assignments of rows for either:
· Email Address
· UID
· IP Address
Are checked. If a record is found, the row for that existing assignment is used.
· If no prior assignment has been made, a row from the mobile-only set is randomly assigned.
· The email-to-row OR UID-to-row OR IP-to-row assignment is recorded.
If the device is non-mobile, the set of available rows is calculated — everything checked “Available”, and everything NOT checked “mobile-only.” After that, the logic is as above.
It’s worth noting the logical implication: the “winner” for views and clicks in the mobile set, and in the non-mobile set, are mutually exclusive. This comes up again in the metrics discussion later.
In theory, a row can be moved from the mobile set to the non-mobile set by clearing the checkmark. This should be done early if at all, as the stats calculations will be complicated considerably. (Winner-vs-losers is determined by the mobile set AT THE TIME OF CALCULATION, not at the time of recording. Best to be clear about what’s what early on.)
As a final note — there is no requirement to designate a separate “mobile-only” group of content. If all rows are un-checked, all rows are treated equally; mobile devices will be assigned their content at time-of-request from all available rows.
(3) Landing-Page Hyperlinks
The redirect-to link field gives the marketer control over the destination for a click. The URLs in this field can include parameters, such as Google Analytics UTM parameters. Parameters are “detached and re-attached” in the process of redirection, to ensure that values are passed through for accurate final metrics in other systems.
It is common for ESPs and marketing clouds to provide another level of redirection; hyperlinks are generally replaced with ESP’s own redirect links. When a user clicks the hyperlink in their email, the HTTP request is:
· Directed to the ESP, where it is recorded
· An HTTP redirect (301 or 302) is returned, with the Optimize hyperlink
· The browser fires a 2nd request to the Optimize hyperlink
· The request is compared with immediately-previous image request traffic:
o Same email= or UID=params
o Same IP address
· Based on that comparison, an HTTP redirect (302 – Temporary Redirect) will be returned to the browser, along with params
· The browser will request the final landing-page link, as configured in the Optimize row.
In theory, this sounds like a lot of traffic; in practice, it’s a sub-second, invisible experience to the user. Redirects are a common tool, and “too many redirects” requires thousands of redirects, typically from a loop and mis-configuration.
3.2 Split-Testing
The ‘first half’ of Optimize’ functions is live split-testing of creative. The available set of content is stored in the cloud, and assigned an ID. The ID is used in both image request SRC tags, and hyperlink redirects. Toolbox IDs are composed of words instead of random characters. The first word is a shorthand toolname; in the case of the Optimize tool, templates start with “opt-“. This is a sample ID: “opt-reggae-agent-ages” Word IDs are proven to be easier to recall and communicate than random computer-hash values.
Practically speaking, an Optimize template puts X different image+link sets in a common URL; the email marketer uses the Optimize URL in their email template. Split-testing, metrics tracking and optimization decisions are handled “in the cloud.”
CODE EXAMPLE; Optimize real-time image with real-time link:
<a href="https://app.campaign-genius.com/smartlink/BEEE-emma/optimize/opt-reggae-agent-ages"><img style="max-width: 100%;" alt="backpacks" src="https://app.campaign-genius.com/smartimage/BEEE-emma/optimize/opt-reggae-agent-ages.jpg?tool=Optimize&miusc=tbvxy9rr"/></a>
When an image request hits the cloud, one of the available images in the test group is assigned and sent back. The default assignment is “sticky by IP”. If IP address x.y.z.204 is assigned Image B on first request, that IP will get Image B on subsequent requests until a “winner” has been declared OR unless Image B is removed from the active set by a marketer (unchecked).
There are several “under the hood” options for more-targeted test assignment. Images can also be “sticky by UserID” or “sticky by email address.” This is configured in the SRC and HREF URLs by use of the query parameter “miemail”:
<a href="https://app.campaign-genius.com/smartlink/BEEE-emma/optimize/opt-reggae-agent-ages?miemail={{email}}"><img style="max-width: 100%;" alt="backpacks" src="https://app.campaign-genius.com/smartimage/BEEE-emma/optimize/opt-reggae-agent-ages.jpg?tool=Optimize&miusc=tbvxy9rr& miemail={{email}}"><"/></a> Assuming that either (a) an email address, or (b) a unique UserID is merged as the field value at send time, the same image will be returned for that unique value after initial assignment. If ‘jeff@amazon.com’ gets Image B the first time, they’ll get Image B the second time. (The field name ‘miemail’ is consistent.)
For clarification, the value of ‘miemail’ is not saved in a readable form. It is cryptographically hashed; the hashed value is saved, while the readable value is deleted instantly.
Click redirects are correlated to image requests. In plainer English, that means that since the image request from an IP address always precedes a click, the row assigned to the image is the row used for the click. If IP x.y.z.204 was just assigned Row B, a click from x.y.z.204 will be redirected to the hyperlink in Row B. [2]
3.3 Optimization Methods
3.3a Set Manually
The default configuration for Optimize is to continue split-testing until a winner is designated manually by the marketer. An Optimize template can be used for testing only, without ever switching to a winner.
Selecting a winner manually is simply a matter of opening the template (from History), checking the winning row, un-checking all other rows, and saving the template. If the template includes some content targeted at mobile (“mobile-only”), check a mobile winner and a non-mobile winner.
Deliveries will switch to the designated winner(s) immediately. View and click-thru metrics will continue to accumulate. (Caveat: recording traffic at time-of-win is the responsibility of the user.)
For all of the methods that follow, note that winners are determined separately for mobile and non-mobile. Winning rows are shown in the template, once opened from History.
3.3b High CTR (clicks > sample)
Selecting this config option allows the marketer to set a target number of impressions for statistically-significant-sample-based automated decision as to ‘winner.’ Clicking the calculator icon in the UI after switching reveals a statistics calculator to assist.
This example calculates that:
· 10,000 Sends
· 15% Open Rate
· 95% Confidence Interval
· 5% Margin of Error
requires 243 impressions per row.
Closing the calculator enters the result (243) in the Sample Size field.
This template will continue random split-test deliveries until all rows have at least 243 clicks. Clicks are counted ‘gross’ — 5 clicks by the same person counts as 5 impressions.
Once the last row hits the sample-size threshold, the row with the highest CTR will automatically be designated “the winner.” All deliveries after that point will be sent the winning row image + link. No manual intervention is required.
Automated optimization for ‘winner’ selection can be un-done. Simple change the optimization method, and save the template.
3.3c High CTR (total impressions)
This method sets a target threshold based on the cumulative impressions for the entire collection of content — all rows, in short. When the total impressions pass the threshold, the CTR winner is designated. After that point, all requests will get the winner.
In this example, the CTR winner will be determined after 500 images are delivered; it is impression-based, not click-based. Statistical leaders and laggards are all lumped into the total.
3.3d High CTR (deadline)
This method allows the marketer to set a deadline. The CTR winner (or mobile winner and non-mobile winner) are declared at the deadline.
After the deadline, only the winning rows will be delivered.
3.3e Choose Rows (deadline)
This method enables marketers to switch to the winner(s) they select, at a deadline of their choice. The selection date is used for both mobile and non-mobile (if some images are targeted at mobile devices.)
While this provides a similar function to the Schedule tool, it differs in that multiple content options will be delivered up to the deadline.
3.3f External Webhook
This configuration allows the marketer to designate the rows to be used from an external system, via POST-method webhook. The webhook requires a valid API key (provided in the UI). The “row=” param is required. If certain rows are targeted at mobile devices, “mobile_row=” designates the winner for those devices, and “row=” the others.
4 Adding Real-Time Content to Email Templates
By design, Campaign Genius real-time content does not require technical integration with marketing platforms, ESPs, CRMs and so on. Using real-time content simply requires including image and hyperlink URLs in email templates.
To use this sample in an email message, this HTML would be pasted into the email template:
<a href="https://app.campaign-genius.com/link/Dost-Winy?subnum={{subnum}}"> <img src="https://app.campaign-genius.com/img/Dost-Winy.png?subnum={{subnum}}" style="max-width: 100%;" alt="BDX-driven Real-Time Content" /> </a>Note the ‘merge field’ values {{subnum}}, used in both the SiteSync redirect and the image source path. The double-curly-brace format {{ }} is the most common, but it is not a technical requirement. If the subdivision number is to be provided on-merge, use the correct merge-field syntax and field name for the system sending the message. In other words, just merge the subdivision number in at send time.
5 Using Optimize Content in Email Templates
Optimize templates, like all other Toolbox templates, generate a chunk of HTML code. Once the HTML code is included in the email template, the email client and the Toolbox back-end services handle the rest. No integration or data-export is required.
When the Toolbox is deployed within a platform (e.g. embedded within the email editor), clicking Insert will handle the job of placing the HTML code. Some editors allow direct editing of HTML code (e.g. to add parameters); others do not. A future revision for the Toolbox UI will allow for ‘intervention’ to attach URL parameters such as Google Analytics UTM codes.
When the Toolbox is used “standalone”, the Toolbox user interface is presented as a popup on a Web page. The Insert button puts the template HTML on the system clipboard on-click. The page includes a ‘rich’ field, which displays the resulting image. It also includes a plain-text field to make the HTML visible.
The Clipboard behavior is worth noting. In general, operating systems allow for the contents on the system clipboard to have a “type” identifier. If a chunk of HTML has the “type” identifier of “text/plain”, it will be treated as plain text on-paste.
<a href="https://app.campaign-genius.com/link/Dost-Winy?subnum={{subnum}}"> <img src="https://app.campaign-genius.com/img/Dost-Winy.png?subnum={{subnum}}" style="max-width: 100%;" alt="BDX-driven Real-Time Content" /> </a>A significant number of applications and web pages also handle the “text/html” type. In this case, clipboard contents are processed by the HTML parser on-paste. In plain English, the user is “pasting web-page contents” rather than plain text.
The Insert button on the Toolbox puts the template HTML on the clipboard with both type designations — “text/html” and “text/plain”. The user can paste into a program, such as an email client, to use the Toolbox template in that program.
[1] https://blogs.oracle.com/marketingcloud/live-content-in-emails
[2] This innovation is patent pending.