Brand Indicators for Message Identification, or BIMI, is an email standard that allows you to display your company's logo next to your messages in a recipient's inbox. Think of it as a visual layer of verification and branding that sits on top of your existing email authentication. While DMARC enforces authentication, BIMI provides the visual payoff for that hard work, helping your emails stand out and building subscriber trust.
By correctly implementing DMARC, you give mailbox providers a clear signal about how to handle your email. BIMI takes this a step further by giving them a verified logo to show to your recipients, increasing brand recognition and reinforcing the legitimacy of your communications.
Understanding the BIMI record tags
To implement BIMI, you publish a special TXT record in your domain's DNS. This record contains specific 'tags' that instruct mailbox providers where to find your logo and, if applicable, your verification certificate. The format is a simple tag=value structure, separated by semicolons.
The official BIMI standard defines a few core tags:
- The version tag (v=): This is mandatory and specifies the version of the BIMI standard being used. Currently, this is always v=BIMI1.
- The logo URL tag (l=): This is a crucial tag that provides the secure URL (HTTPS) of your brand's logo. The logo itself must be in a specific SVG format.
- The authority evidence URL tag (a=): This tag is technically optional in the specification, but practically required by major providers like Gmail. It points to the URL of your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), which is a digital certificate proving your ownership of the logo.
So, what is the 'display' tag for?
Here's the simple answer: there is no 'display' tag in the BIMI specification. The idea of a specific tag to control the display of the logo is a common misconception.
The confusion likely comes from the fact that the entire purpose of BIMI is to get a logo displayed. It's natural to assume there might be a direct switch or tag to control this function, but the mechanism works differently. Your BIMI record provides the necessary information, but it doesn't get the final say on the display itself.
Who controls how the logo is displayed?
The ultimate decision to show your logo rests with the individual mailbox provider, such as Gmail, Apple Mail, or Yahoo. Your BIMI record is an assertion; you are providing a verified logo and proving you are who you say you are. The email client then uses that information, along with other signals like your sender reputation and the user's settings, to decide whether to display the logo.
What you need for your logo to be displayed
While there's no 'display' tag to configure, there is a clear set of prerequisites you must meet for mailbox providers to even consider showing your logo:
- Strict DMARC Policy: Your domain's DMARC record must be at an enforcement policy of p=quarantine or p=reject. A policy of p=none is not sufficient.
- Properly Formatted Logo: The logo pointed to in your l= tag must be a specific SVG Tiny P/S format.
- Verified Mark Certificate (VMC): As mentioned, most major inbox providers require a VMC. This involves getting your logo trademarked and then purchasing the certificate from a certified authority.
Conclusion
In short, the BIMI 'display' tag does not exist. The control over displaying a logo is indirect, relying on the correct implementation of a BIMI DNS record with v, l, and a tags, and is ultimately at the discretion of the mailbox provider. Your focus should be on meeting the strict prerequisites, especially DMARC enforcement and acquiring a VMC, to give your logo the best chance of appearing in the inbox.
