Do Gmail profile pictures still work for mass emails and what are the alternatives for displaying logos?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 10 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
9 min read
For years, email marketers and individuals alike sought ways to personalize their outreach, often leveraging the Gmail profile picture to add a visual element to their messages. It was a simple, seemingly effective 'hack' to make emails stand out in a crowded inbox. The idea was that by setting your Google account's profile picture, it would automatically appear next to your sender name, even for mass emails sent through marketing platforms. This visual cue provided a sense of familiarity and legitimacy, enhancing brand recognition and recipient trust.
However, with the evolving landscape of email security and a strong push for authenticated branding, the reliability of this method for mass emails has significantly declined. Inbox providers, particularly Gmail and Yahoo, are constantly refining their algorithms to combat spam and phishing, prioritizing verified sender identities over self-assigned profile images. This means that what might have worked consistently in the past is no longer a guaranteed strategy.
While individual Gmail-to-Gmail communications and emails to known contacts might still display the profile picture, it’s increasingly ineffective for bulk sending. For marketing and transactional emails, a more robust and verifiable solution is required to ensure your brand's logo or avatar is consistently displayed. Relying solely on a Gmail profile picture for mass email campaigns can lead to a significant loss of brand visibility and trust, impacting your deliverability and engagement rates.
Why the Gmail profile picture 'hack' is no longer reliable
The deprecation of Gmail profile pictures for mass emails largely stems from Google’s efforts to enhance email security and combat impersonation. The profile picture method, while convenient, lacked strong authentication. It was easy for malicious actors to spoof sender identities and use deceptive profile images, making it difficult for recipients to distinguish legitimate emails from phishing attempts. This vulnerability prompted Google to pivot towards more secure, verifiable methods for brand display.
For personal emails or replies within a known conversation, the Gmail profile picture can still appear. This is because Gmail's system has a higher degree of trust for direct, person-to-person communication or established contacts. The challenge arises with marketing or transactional emails, which are often sent via third-party email service providers (ESPs) from a domain that might not directly correspond to a personal Google account.
This shift aligns with broader industry trends focusing on email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These protocols work in the background to verify that an email sender is legitimate and authorized to send mail on behalf of a domain. Displaying a profile picture without this underlying authentication doesn't meet the current security standards for bulk senders.
The primary alternative: BIMI
If you're looking to consistently display your brand logo in the inbox for mass emails, the primary solution is Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI). BIMI is an email specification that allows organizations to display their brand logo next to their authenticated emails in supporting inboxes. It leverages DMARC authentication to ensure that only legitimate senders can display their logo, adding a layer of trust and visual recognition.
Implementing BIMI requires several steps, including a DMARC policy set to enforcement (quarantine or reject), a properly formatted SVG logo, and in most cases, a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). A VMC is a digital certificate that verifies your ownership of the logo, providing the highest level of trust and ensuring that your logo is displayed prominently. While a VMC adds a cost, it's often essential for full BIMI adoption with major inbox providers.
For a deeper dive into how to get your logo to display in Gmail using BIMI, check out our guide on BIMI requirements for Gmail logo display. Understanding the nuances of BIMI and VMCs is crucial for brands seeking maximum visual impact in the inbox.
BIMI with VMC
This is the gold standard for displaying your logo reliably across supported email clients. It requires strong email authentication and a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC).
Visibility: High, across major BIMI-supporting clients like Gmail and Yahoo Mail.
Trust Signal: Includes a blue verified checkmark in some inboxes, significantly boosting sender credibility.
Complexity: Moderate to high, requiring DMARC enforcement and VMC acquisition.
Cost: Annual cost for the VMC, which can be substantial.
Other logo display methods
While BIMI is the most robust solution for displaying logos, it's not the only option, especially if a VMC is not feasible right now. One alternative is Gravatar. Gravatar (Globally Recognized Avatar) allows users to associate an avatar with their email address. When an email client supports Gravatar, your chosen image will appear next to your email in compatible applications. The main drawback is inconsistent support across all email clients and its primarily personal, rather than corporate, application.
Another emerging alternative is Apple Business Connect. While not a direct replacement for BIMI, it offers a way for businesses to manage their brand presence within Apple's ecosystem, potentially influencing how logos appear in Apple Mail. It's a free option but the registration process can be complex.
It's also worth noting that some email service providers (ESPs) offer their own features for displaying sender avatars or logos. These are usually limited to emails sent through their platform and may only be visible to recipients using specific email clients that integrate with that ESP's system. For example, a platform might offer a feature to set a sender profile image within its own ecosystem, but this won't typically translate to universal display in Outlook or Gmail without broader authentication.
Gmail profile picture for mass emails
Reliability: Very low for mass emails, inconsistent display. More reliable for personal emails and known contacts.
Trust Signals: None, no verified badge.
Authentication: Lacks strong sender authentication like DMARC.
Reliability: High for supported inboxes and bulk emails.
Trust Signals: Verified blue checkmark, boosting brand recognition.
Authentication: Requires DMARC at enforcement, VMC for verification.
Setup: More complex, involving DNS records, SVG creation, and VMC purchase.
Importance of logo display for deliverability and trust
Ensuring your logo appears consistently in inboxes is vital for brand recognition and deliverability. When recipients see your familiar logo, it instantly signals who the email is from, building trust and reducing the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam. A missing or generic sender image can cause hesitation and confusion, especially in a world where phishing attempts are sophisticated.
Inbox providers use a complex set of factors to determine inbox placement, and sender reputation plays a massive role. A consistent, verified logo contributes positively to this reputation. It signals to ISPs (Internet Service Providers) that you are a legitimate sender, invested in authentication and brand identity. This, in turn, can help improve your email deliverability rates and ensure your messages land in the primary inbox, not the spam folder or promotions tab.
Beyond deliverability, a visible logo also enhances the user experience. It makes your emails more scannable and visually appealing. In a cluttered inbox, a distinctive logo can be the deciding factor for a recipient to open your email over another. This directly impacts open rates and overall engagement with your email campaigns, making logo display a critical component of successful email marketing.
Recommendations for consistent logo display
When aiming for optimal logo display and email deliverability, consider a few key best practices:
Prioritize authentication: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and enforced. This is the foundation for any advanced branding.
Implement BIMI: Start the process of implementing BIMI, including acquiring a VMC if possible, to guarantee logo display across major providers like Gmail and Yahoo.
While a Gmail profile picture might still show up for some one-on-one communications, it's not a viable strategy for mass email marketing or transactional sends. Invest in proper email authentication and BIMI implementation to ensure your brand logo consistently reaches your audience, fostering trust and improving your overall email program's performance.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always ensure your DMARC is correctly configured and enforced, as it's the foundation for BIMI and critical for deliverability.
Consider a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) for your BIMI implementation to ensure the widest support and display of your logo.
Test your emails across various clients and devices to see how your logo appears, including mobile views.
Use a high-quality SVG image for your BIMI logo, as per specifications, to ensure it scales correctly.
Monitor your domain reputation regularly; a strong reputation helps with logo display and overall inbox placement.
Common pitfalls
Relying solely on a Gmail profile picture for brand display in mass emails, which is largely ineffective.
Neglecting DMARC authentication, which is a prerequisite for BIMI and modern email security.
Using incorrect logo formats or sizes for BIMI, leading to display issues.
Not considering alternative methods like Gravatar or Apple Business Connect for additional brand presence.
Ignoring feedback from recipients about missing logos or emails going to spam, which signals underlying issues.
Expert tips
For brands on a tight budget, explore whether your email service provider offers any built-in sender image features, even if limited to their own platform.
Keep an eye on updates from major inbox providers like Google and Yahoo, as their requirements for logo display evolve regularly.
Even without a VMC, properly implemented DMARC and BIMI records can sometimes result in logo display for some users, so it’s worth the effort.
Educate your team on the importance of email authentication and branding beyond just the subject line and content.
Use email deliverability testing tools to diagnose logo display issues before launching large campaigns.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says the 'hack' of using a Gmail profile picture for mass emails might not be working consistently anymore, but it's worth investigating why.
2024-12-10 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they have observed that their Gmail profile picture is still working for their sends.
2024-12-11 - Email Geeks
The path forward for brand visibility
The era of reliably displaying your brand logo via a simple Gmail profile picture for mass emails is largely over. As email security measures become more stringent, inbox providers like Google are prioritizing authenticated and verified brand indicators. While the old Gmail avatar hack offered a temporary visual solution, it falls short of today's requirements for trust and deliverability.
The definitive answer for consistent logo display in modern email is BIMI, especially when combined with a Verified Mark Certificate. This not only ensures your logo appears, but also provides a powerful trust signal to recipients, often in the form of a blue verified checkmark. For those not yet ready for a full BIMI implementation, exploring options like Gravatar or Apple Business Connect can offer some brand visibility, though their reach and reliability may vary.
Ultimately, investing in proper email authentication and implementing BIMI are crucial steps for any sender serious about their email deliverability and brand presence. These measures not only help your emails stand out but also significantly enhance your sender reputation, ensuring your messages reach the inbox and build lasting trust with your audience. Don't let a generic initial or a broken image prevent your brand from making an immediate, positive impression.
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