Summary
Emailing a list after a rebrand without mentioning the old brand presents significant deliverability challenges. Experts and marketers emphasize that while legal in some jurisdictions, this approach can lead to subscriber confusion, mistrust, increased spam complaints, and a damaged sender reputation. To mitigate these risks, it's crucial to prioritize transparency, manage expectations, segment the list, clean inactive subscribers, warm up the list, and implement robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Re-permissioning the list is also highly recommended to ensure subscribers recognize and want to receive emails from the new entity.
Key findings
- Transparency is Paramount: Lack of transparency about the rebrand leads to subscriber confusion and spam complaints.
- List Segmentation & Hygiene: Segmenting the list and removing inactive subscribers improves engagement and sender reputation.
- Email Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
- Reputation Risks: Ignoring the rebrand can severely damage sender reputation, affecting deliverability and long-term success.
- Re-Permissioning Recommended: Explicitly asking subscribers to confirm their interest in the new brand helps avoid spam complaints and maintains a healthy list.
Key considerations
- Legal Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant email marketing laws and regulations, including consent requirements.
- Subscriber Perception: Carefully consider how subscribers will perceive emails if the old brand is not mentioned and manage expectations accordingly.
- Deliverability Impact: Understand the potential impact on deliverability and implement strategies to mitigate risks, such as re-warming the list.
- Brand Messaging: Consider suggesting alternative branding approaches to the client, such as a phased transition or a subtle acknowledgement of the previous brand, if possible.
- Technical Expertise: Proper configuration and maintenance of email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) require technical expertise.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
When emailing a list after a rebrand, especially when the client prefers not to mention the old brand, transparency and setting expectations are crucial. Sending emails that appear unrelated or unexpected can lead to mistrust and spam complaints. Experts recommend segmenting lists, re-introducing the company, cleaning inactive subscribers, and warming up the list to maintain deliverability.
Key opinions
- Transparency Matters: Being upfront about the rebrand and the reason for the email is essential to avoid appearing as spam.
- Segmentation is Key: Targeted campaigns focused on engaged subscribers improve deliverability and open rates.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers and bounced emails is critical for maintaining a good sender reputation.
- Warm-up Period: Gradually increasing email volume when starting with a new domain or IP address helps prevent being flagged as spam.
Key considerations
- Legal Implications: Understand the legal requirements regarding consent and disclosure, particularly if the rebrand involves a significant change in the business.
- Recipient Perception: Consider how recipients will perceive the emails if the old brand is not mentioned. Confusion and mistrust can lead to negative consequences.
- Deliverability Impact: Failing to set expectations and provide value can negatively impact deliverability, potentially leading to reduced open rates and increased spam complaints.
- Long-Term Reputation: Ignoring the rebrand can damage the sender's reputation and erode trust with subscribers.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet states it is crucial to re-introduce your company and explain the reason for the email. They emphasize the importance of being transparent and providing a clear explanation for the change. In addition, ensure that your email content aligns with the expectations of your subscribers.
18 Aug 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares to use segmentation to target specific subscribers with relevant content. Segmentation can be based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history. Sending targeted emails increases engagement and reduces unsubscribes, thus maintaining a healthier list.
26 Nov 2022 - ActiveCampaign
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts agree that emailing a list after a rebrand without acknowledging the previous brand poses significant risks. While legal in some jurisdictions, it can lead to poor results, damaged reputation, and decreased engagement due to subscriber confusion and mistrust. Re-permissioning the list is a key consideration, as is informing the client about the importance of connecting the new brand with the old, even if they are hesitant.
Key opinions
- Legal vs. Effective: While emailing without mentioning the old brand might be legally permissible, the outcome can be detrimental to your sender reputation and engagement.
- Subscriber Confusion: Ignoring the rebrand leads to confusion and mistrust, causing subscribers to mark emails as spam.
- Re-Permissioning Importance: Re-permissioning the email list is crucial, especially when the rebrand is substantial, to ensure subscribers recognize and want to receive emails from the new entity.
- Best Practice Suggestion: Informing the client about how a brand can use 'X, formerly Y' brand messaging can help make the connection between the old and new brand.
Key considerations
- Reputation Damage: Ignoring the rebrand can severely damage your email sending reputation, affecting deliverability.
- Lost Engagement: Engaged subscribers might lose interest without name recognition, reducing overall campaign effectiveness.
- Spam Complaints: Increased spam complaints can result from subscribers not recognizing the sender, further harming deliverability.
- Transparency: Consider the ethical and practical implications of not being transparent about the rebrand with subscribers.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests informing the client that it is best practice for others to use a "X, formerly Y" brand messaging to help drive the connection to recipients after a rebrand.
28 Jul 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that when a business undergoes a significant change (like a rebrand without wanting to acknowledge the old brand), it's crucial to consider re-permissioning the email list. This means explicitly asking subscribers to confirm they still want to receive emails from the 'new' entity. If the change is substantial enough that subscribers might not recognize or expect emails from the new brand, failing to re-permission can lead to increased spam complaints and deliverability issues.
5 Dec 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Maintaining a good sender reputation through email authentication is crucial when emailing a list after a rebrand, particularly when not mentioning the old brand. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify sender identity, prevent spoofing, and improve deliverability. Monitoring feedback loops and promptly addressing complaints also contributes to a positive reputation.
Key findings
- SPF Implementation: Implementing SPF records in DNS settings prevents email spoofing and enhances deliverability by verifying authorized sending servers.
- DKIM Signatures: DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to authenticate email messages, ensuring sender identity and preventing tampering.
- DMARC Policy: DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM, providing a policy for handling emails that fail authentication checks and specifying how receiving mail servers should manage unauthenticated emails.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring feedback loops and addressing complaints promptly are essential for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Technical Setup: Ensuring proper technical implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC requires technical expertise and careful configuration.
- Compliance with Standards: Adhering to email authentication standards is critical for avoiding being flagged as spam and ensuring emails reach the intended recipients.
- Feedback Loop Management: Regularly monitoring feedback loops and addressing complaints requires dedicated resources and a proactive approach.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Maintaining email authentication protocols requires ongoing maintenance and updates to adapt to evolving email standards and security threats.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC 4871 explains how DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) works to authenticate email messages. DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to verify the sender's identity. Implementing DKIM helps prevent tampering and phishing attacks, improving trust and deliverability.
6 Dec 2022 - RFC 4871
Technical article
Documentation from RFC 7208 describes the technical specifications for SPF (Sender Policy Framework). Implementing SPF records in your DNS settings helps prevent email spoofing and improves deliverability. It allows receiving mail servers to verify that emails are sent from authorized servers.
14 Jan 2022 - RFC 7208
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