Have you ever seen a logo in the inbox and wished you could do the same for your brand?
Have you already looked into BIMI and wished you didn’t have to deal with trademarking your logo?
Well, now you can.
Google announced today that they will be supporting Common Mark Certificates (CMC), which allow you to use BIMI in Gmail without a trademark. This allows businesses of all sizes, for whom the trademark requirement may have been too high a bar, to now utilize BIMI to bring their brand into the inbox. But that’s not the only exciting BIMI change that’s coming. Read below to find out the details and learn how this will impact your email marketing strategy.
Google introducing the CMC and expanding BIMI
One requirement for BIMI for Gmail was to obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) with your trademarked logo. However, this is time-consuming and expensive for many brands to obtain, and it limits the logos you can use with BIMI.
With Google’s announcement today, they will no longer require a trademark: You can get BIMI with just a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) as long as your logo has been used for at least a year.
While Google has had BIMI support with a VMC, with these changes, BIMI will be available on mobile and desktop with either a VMC or a CMC. Google’s blue checkmark, previously only available on webmail, will now be rolling out to mobile over the next few weeks, with support in the Gmail app on both Android and iOS.
“BIMI promotes another layer of security to Gmail by requiring strong authentication and verification of logos before they’re displayed in Gmail as avatars. Strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust. This increases confidence in email sources and gives readers an immersive experience, creating a better email ecosystem for everyone.”
– Google Workspace Updates
How to choose between the VMC and CMC
The main difference between the two certificates is that the CMC doesn’t require you to trademark your logo. However, if you opt for the CMC, you won’t receive Google’s blue checkmark next to your logo. That option is reserved for users who choose the VMC.
Here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide whether a VMC or CMC is right for you:
| VMC | CMC | |
| Pros | – Logo and Google’s Blue Checkmark show on desktop and mobile – Highest security bar | – No trademark required – Easier to obtain |
| Cons | – Slower to obtain (if you don’t already have a trademark) | – No Google Blue Checkmark – The logo has to have been in use for over a year |
What is BIMI?
Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is an email specification that allows brands to display a validated logo in the inbox.
BIMI allows you to:
- Enhance brand recognition
- Control the logos on your email messages
- Provide a better user experience
Because BIMI requires Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) enforcement, it also ensures that no one can spoof a company’s logo and put it on a fraudulent message. If the email passes DMARC authentication checks, the organization’s domain has not been spoofed.
Learn more about Google’s CMC and what it means for you
Not all email marketers will know BIMI, but these changes will increase the number of brands getting their logos in the inbox. Don’t be left behind.
Valimail has been at the forefront of BIMI since 2018 as part of the AuthIndicators Working Group. To learn more about implementing BIMI at your organization, contact one of our email authentication experts today.
