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Solution Overview for IT and Information

Blings.io Solution Overview for IT and Information Security Units

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide an in-depth look at the technology and integration aspects of Blings.io. This information is not only pivotal for understanding our state-of-the-art solutions but also vital for organizations prioritizing data privacy and robust security measures.

Blings.io is honored to collaborate with Fortune 500 companies, leading financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and other entities that require stringent security protocols. Leveraging our distinctive video-rendering architecture, we deliver highly engaging and scalable customer experiences without ever being exposed to sensitive user data. This approach effectively circumvents common security and privacy challenges, enabling faster and more secure onboarding of business units compared to traditional methods.

This document outlines the key components of Blings.io’s solutions, product suite, and underlying architecture. It aims to offer clarity to all stakeholders regarding the implementation of our solutions, the resources required, and the measures taken to address data security and privacy concerns.

Core Technology

Intellectual Property and Competitive Edge

One of the cornerstones that sets Blings.io apart is our patented technology in the realm of edge computing and AI for dynamic, personalized, and interactive videos. This intellectual property not only underscores our innovative approach but also provides a competitive edge in the marketplace. It serves as a guarantee to our clients and partners that they are investing in a unique, cutting-edge solution that is backed by legal protections.

MP5 File Format

The innovative MP5 technology revolutionizes video rendering and interactivity. Unlike conventional MP4 files that are pixel-based and generated on a server, MP5 adopts a "Video as Code" approach. This technology allows video to be dynamically rendered on each end-recipient's device, permitting real-time personalization and interactivity.

The Edge computing paradigm (wikipedia) is a current trend in many areas, such as autonomous cars, smart homes, etc., as it enables scale, immediacy, efficiency, and privacy. We are the first to apply that paradigm to SMART video rendering.

The video is stored as a JSON file, that includes the "directing instructions" for the video, meaning - the entire logic of the video project (layers, compositions, text properties, animation, etc), including the dynamic variables and their connection to data that will be available only at the edge. A Javascript player (client-side code) is running on the web page, goes over the JSON, and creates the video on the fly.

{
 width: 100, height: 100, 
 frameRate: 25, duration: 300,
 layers: [ 
  {
   type: "SHAPE.CIRCLE",
   position: {x: 15, y: 15}
   size: [
     {frame: 0, radius: 10}, 
     {frame: 125, radius: 20,
      transition: "ease-in" }
   ], 
   background-color: {
     value: "#ff2233"
   },
   interactions: {
    on-click: "OPEN WEBPAGE",
    url: "www.google.com" 
   }
  }
 ]
}

MP5 main advantages

  • Dynamic: Videos adapt in real-time based on data and business rules.

  • Interactive:

    • All graphical elements can be clickable.

    • Interactions go beyond clicks to include forms, chatbots, and more.

    • Live video updates based on user actions.

  • Light-weight & Crisp: With vector graphics, videos are as light as 100KB and always in HD.

  • Programmable: Customizable through code, allowing for unique business logic.

  • Web-Native: Built on core web technologies like JS, SVG, and HTML; no downloads required.

Web-SDK

Blings' client-side Web-SDK allows businesses to generate video content based on MP5 templates and real-time data in their platforms, CRM channels (such as email, SMS), web pages and mobile apps. The SDK enables companies to compose scenes dynamically and modify content elements like text, images, colors, video clips, and audio by passing data to the client-side SDK.

Dynamic Customization

In the Blings.io solution, every asset within the video—be it text, images, audio, or video footage—can be dynamically tailored to individual users. This capability enables the creation of highly personalized video content that speaks directly to the viewer, thereby enhancing engagement and user experience.

Interactivity

Beyond mere customization, these elements are also fully interactive. They can transform into various interactive features such as calls-to-action, forms, or buttons. These features have the ability to dynamically alter the video flow based on real-time user engagement, providing a more immersive and responsive experience for the end user.

Branch Timeline Stitching

Our technology allows for Branch Timeline sequencing to create a seamless and unique video narrative for each viewer. For instance, while User X may experience the video in a scene sequence of A-B-C-D, User Y could have a different combination, such as B-A-C-E. Moreover, this sequencing is not static; it can be updated in real-time based on user interactions within the video. This offers viewers the ability to engage with the content actively, such as clicking a button to access additional details through a new scene.

Example Use of Blings SDK

BlingsPlayer.create({
  project:{id: "project_id_xyz_123"},

  data: { 
    name: "Joe",
    loyalty_points: 205,
    recommended_product_name: "Product 1",
    recommended_product_image: "/prod1.jpg"
    // etc...
  },

  scenes: [
   "start",
   "package-scene-2", 
   "outro_regular"
  ]
})

Player

The Blings Player is engineered to be a lightweight yet robust solution for delivering MP5 videos. Built on standard web technologies, it ensures universal compatibility without requiring additional software installations for end-users.

To incorporate the player and the web SDK into a web page, all you need is a straightforward one-line JavaScript reference. This convenient approach allows for seamless integration and ensures that the player and SDK are effortlessly added to your web page without any hassles or complications.

<script src="https://assets.blings.io/scripts/msdk4.js"></script>

How Each Personal Video Is Created

When an end-user accesses a personalized video, it is typically hosted on an HTML page within the customer's own domain. Upon opening the page, real-time data is fetched from the company's CRM system. Simultaneously, the visual MP5 video template is also loaded onto the page. Both the real-time data and the MP5 template are then dynamically combined directly on the end-user's device to render the personalized, interactive video.

This process ensures a seamless, secure, and highly personalized user experience, all while keeping the data and video rendering within the client's existing infrastructure.

Application Layers

Blings.io offers a comprehensive solution for the creation and optimization of MP5 videos through two main tools: the Blings Playground and the Blings Platform. These interfaces serve distinct yet complementary roles in the video lifecycle, empowering users to produce, manage, and analyze dynamic, interactive video content.

Blings Studio

This is the creative hub where video templates are crafted. Designers can use Adobe (After Effects) for professional video creation, along with a No-Code Tool to program interactivity and logic.

The designers work with variables such as 'first name' or 'loyalty points,' which will be populated dynamically when the video is rendered. They are not handling integration or using real user data at this point.

Key Features of Blings Playground:

  • Initial video design using professional Adobe tools.

  • Design and animation can be done:

    • In-house

    • With a wide range of studios

    • With the helps of Blings’ studio.

  • No code tools to define sophisticated dynamic and interactive abilities

  • Leveraging existing video content, or creating new professional grade MP5 videos

Blings Platform

This managerial layer is intended for business units (e.g marketing managers). It offers features like a Management Dashboard, anonymized video analytics, and an optimization engine. The platform facilitates easy editing of video content, aiming for continual improvement and performance optimization.

Key Features of Blings Platform:

  • In-house control and convenience to make updates and changes

  • Easy and lean integration with the company’s business platforms and databases

  • Providing analytics and reporting to inform company decision-making for ongoing optimization

Analytics and optimization

Analytics and User Behavior Monitoring

Blings.io offers a comprehensive analytics suite designed to monitor various aspects of user engagement with our videos. Metrics such as watch time, levels of interaction, button clicks, and scene views are meticulously tracked. It's essential to note that these analytics are anonymized to prioritize user privacy. While we capture a wide range of behavior metrics, the personalized data used to create each individual video is excluded from these analytics.

The aggregated analytics data is made available on the Blings platform, providing a high-level overview of video performance without revealing individual user actions. For clients who require deeper insights, this analytics data can also be integrated seamlessly into the client’s existing analytics platforms (e.g. Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and others).

AI Optimization for Enhanced Engagement

Beyond standard analytics, Blings also provides an AI Optimization feature. Clients can establish specific performance goals, such as increasing user clicks on calls-to-action or enhancing overall video engagement. Our AI algorithms then analyze this user behavior data and enable clients to input multiple variations in text copy, visual content, scene composition, and overall design. The AI will dynamically select from these variations in real time, aiming to meet or exceed the established performance goals. This unique feature allows each video to self-optimize, adapting dynamically to deliver the most impactful and engaging user experience over time.

Collecting User Feedback for Personalization

In addition to anonymous behavioral analytics, Blings.io offers features that allow for the collection of explicit user feedback. For instance, the video can include selectable buttons that prompt the user to make a choice among various options (e.g., choosing between three product offerings). Additionally, the video can incorporate open text fields, where users can type their responses (e.g., feedback on the quality of service).

Unlike the anonymous behavior analytics, in these cases, the company may opt for a non-anonymous approach to capture specific user attributes, typically limited to the user's ID. This strategy enables the organization to enrich its CRM system without compromising user data integrity with Blings.io. The platform can direct these responses to either the Blings UI for convenient integration and review or to a client-specified API endpoint for more streamlined data handling.

Blings solution - full overview

Video creation from the perspective of the end-user

Video creation process, from the perspective of the company

Security and Compliance

Data Privacy and ISO 27001

Blings.io maintains ISO 27001 certification to ensure the highest level of data security. Although our client-side rendering technology means we are never exposed to customer data, this certification further reinforces our commitment to security.

AWS Cognito Service

The Blings Platform and Playground use AWS Cognito for secure user authentication. This ensures that approved users have appropriate access to the MP5 template design layers.

Integration with CRM and other Platform and Apps

Data Integration

The unique architecture of Blings allows data to flow entirely within the client's ecosystem. Blings essentially serves as a visual layer, making it possible to create videos without the need for server-side data integration. This method ensures that all data remains secure and confined within the client's domain, whether behind a login wall or presented on open pages.

Blings does not participate in the distribution of the content; all scaling and sending activities are performed using the client's existing tools, such as email automation from CRM, push notifications, mobile app screens, and other customer engagement platforms.

Full and updated documentation can be found here:

Developers

Implementation Examples

Using CRM Tokens as URL Parameters

In this example, the client's CRM system generates a URL containing dynamic tokens such as %FIRST_NAME% or %LOYALTY_POINTS%. The URL is inserted dynamically as part of a mail sent from the CRM system. The tokens presented in the URL are then parsed by the Blings SDK, which dynamically replaces them in the video content, making each video unique to the recipient.

CRM Landing Pages with Embedded Videos

Blings enables seamless video embedding within CRM-based landing pages. Once the video template is created, it can easily be embedded in CRM landing pages through a simple HTML code snippet. This not only offers high-quality, real-time personalized video experiences to users but also integrates effortlessly with your existing CRM capabilities. These videos can dynamically display customer-specific data such as names, loyalty points, or any other CRM data tokens.

HTML with Client's API Code

For clients looking for a more customized and dynamic integration, Blings offers the ability to fetch real-time data directly through the client's API. In this setup, clients can build HTML with embedded Javascript code to fetch data from an API. Once the data is fetched, it can be passed directly to the client-side Blings SDK, which then dynamically generates the video based on the MP5 template and real-time data. This approach allows for a more complex business logic to be applied in real-time, offering a highly flexible and customized user experience

Traditional Video Rendering Solutions vs. Blings' Innovative Approach

In today's competitive digital landscape, video content is increasingly pivotal for engaging customers. While traditional video rendering solutions often rely on server-based MP4 mass rendering, these approaches come with inherent limitations—ranging from cost to data security and real-time relevance. This section delves into the challenges of the conventional server-rendering methodology and contrasts it with the innovative, client-side rendering solution offered by Blings.io.

Limitations of Traditional Server Rendering Approach

In the traditional server-rendering approach, video is created on a server, resulting in static assets that are resource-intensive and potentially expose customer data to third parties. This older method often requires:

  1. Automated integration from a database to video rendering servers.

  2. Rendering each video on vendor servers.

  3. Further integration to link videos back to individual users.

This architecture is fraught with limitations such as outdated data, complicated server integration, and high costs ranging from $0.1 to $1 per video.

Blings Approach

Blings’ solution does not require data integration. Instead, a straightforward copy-paste code within existing marketing tools generates personalized videos on-the-fly, using data already present on the page.

Benefits of using Blings client side rendering:

  • No Data Exposure: All data remains within the client's domain.

  • Cost-Effectiveness: Eliminates the high costs associated with server-rendered videos.

  • Up-to-Date: Real-time data integration ensures information is always current.

  • Simplicity: Simplified client-side rendering eliminates the need for complicated integrations.

Conclusion

Blings.io represents a paradigm shift in the realm of video technology, delivering a personalized, interactive, and real-time experience that is also secure and straightforward to integrate. Blings is not exposed to private user data, at any time, bypassing security and privacy concerns.

Our MP5 technology safeguards customer data by design, offering a trustworthy solution for any organization looking to enhance its customer engagement through video content.

For more detailed information and insights into the integration process, security considerations, and potential applications, please refer to the following resources:

DEVELOPER

DevelopersMP5 Integration and Security GuideEnhanced Technical Case Study (Mercedes Benz Integration)
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