When you think about making your brand's logo appear next to your emails in a recipient's inbox, you are looking into Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI). This standard is designed to help organizations display their logos in a prominent, verified way, adding an extra layer of visual trust and brand recognition for recipients. It is a powerful tool for enhancing email security and customer engagement.
BIMI relies on robust email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM to ensure the sender is legitimate. Once these are in place and properly configured, the next step involves obtaining a specific type of digital certificate to verify the ownership of your logo. This certificate is what email clients use to trust that your logo is indeed yours and can be safely displayed.
The primary types of certificates used for BIMI logos are known as Mark Certificates. These are specialized digital certificates that confirm your organization's right to use a particular logo, ensuring that only authorized brands can leverage BIMI for their email communications. Let's delve into these certificate types to understand their distinctions and requirements.
Understanding mark certificates for BIMI
Understanding mark certificates for BIMI
Mark Certificates are a critical component of the BIMI standard. They serve as verifiable proof that your organization legitimately owns and has the rights to use the logo it wishes to display. This verification process is handled by a Certificate Authority (CA), which issues the certificate after validating your trademark or common mark. The BIMI Group provides further insight into these certificate types.
The main goal of these certificates is to prevent unauthorized entities from displaying fake logos, thereby protecting brands and recipients from phishing attacks and brand impersonation. By tying a verified logo to an authenticated email, BIMI strengthens the overall email ecosystem, making it safer for everyone.
It's important to understand that while a Mark Certificate is essential for many BIMI implementations, the specific type you need can vary. This depends on whether your logo is a registered trademark and the level of assurance required by the email client. There are two primary categories of Mark Certificates: Common Mark Certificates (CMCs) and Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs).
Common mark certificates (CMC)
Common mark certificates (CMC)
Common Mark Certificates (CMCs) are designed for logos that may not be officially registered trademarks but are still widely recognized as belonging to your organization. They provide a foundational level of verification, confirming that your brand has legitimate rights to use the logo. This makes CMCs a suitable option for many businesses, especially those with established brand imagery that hasn't gone through the formal trademark registration process yet. This certificate is ideal if your logo is not a registered trademark or if you wish to modify an existing registered logo without needing to re-register it.
One key advantage of CMCs is their flexibility. They can be obtained for a broader range of logos, allowing more organizations to participate in BIMI. However, it is worth noting that some email clients may have specific requirements or preferences, potentially giving higher priority to logos verified with a VMC. It is always wise to check the requirements of major inbox providers to ensure optimal logo display.
Common mark certificates (CMC)
Trademark status: Does not require a registered trademark.
Flexibility: Allows for logos that are established but not officially registered, or modified trademarks.
Cost: Generally less expensive than VMCs.
Issuance time: Potentially faster to obtain.
Verified mark certificates (VMC)
Trademark status: Requires a registered trademark with an authorized intellectual property office.
Assurance: Provides the highest level of trust and authentication.
Cost: Generally more expensive due to stricter verification processes.
Issuance time: Can take longer due to trademark verification.
To learn more about the differences between these certificate types, you can consult resources such as Sectigo's comparison of CMC vs. VMC certificates. Your choice will depend on your brand's specific needs and trademark status.
Verified mark certificates (VMC)
Verified mark certificates (VMC)
Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) offer the highest level of assurance for BIMI. These certificates are issued only for logos that are registered trademarks with an authorized intellectual property office. This rigorous verification process provides email clients and recipients with the utmost confidence that the displayed logo is authentic and belongs to the legitimate sender. Due to this high level of verification, VMCs are often preferred by major email providers like Google and Yahoo.
The process of obtaining a VMC involves demonstrating proof of trademark ownership to a qualified Certificate Authority. This typically means providing documentation of your registered trademark. While more involved than obtaining a CMC, the enhanced trust and broader display across supporting email clients make VMCs a valuable investment for many brands.
Important VMC considerations
Trademark registration: Your logo must be a registered trademark in a recognized jurisdiction. Without this, a VMC cannot be issued.
Approved CAs: VMCs must be issued by a Certificate Authority approved by the BIMI Group. These typically include providers like DigiCert and Entrust.
A common question is, is a VMC required for BIMI to display a logo? For certain email clients, yes, it is. However, other clients may support BIMI with a CMC or even self-assertion for certain cases, though the trend is towards stricter verification.
The role of Suped in BIMI implementation
The role of Suped in BIMI implementation
Implementing BIMI effectively goes hand-in-hand with robust email authentication, particularly DMARC. This is where a powerful DMARC monitoring and reporting tool becomes invaluable. Suped simplifies the complex world of email authentication, offering an intuitive platform to monitor your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM policies.
We provide AI-powered recommendations that tell you exactly what actions to take to fix authentication issues and strengthen your policy, making your path to BIMI compliance much smoother. Our real-time alerts ensure you are always aware of any potential problems, allowing for quick resolution.
Suped offers a unified platform that brings together DMARC, SPF, and DKIM monitoring with blocklist (blacklist) and deliverability insights. Our SPF flattening feature helps prevent issues with the 10-lookup limit, ensuring your SPF records remain compliant. For agencies and Managed Service Providers, our MSP and multi-tenancy dashboard is built for scale, allowing you to manage multiple domains efficiently. Begin your journey to better email security and deliverability with Suped's generous free plan.
We make DMARC accessible to everyone, from SMBs to large enterprises, as well as MSPs, with a focus on simplicity, actionable insights, and a feature-rich platform. Leveraging our DMARC monitoring capabilities can help you ensure your email authentication is solid, a prerequisite for successful BIMI implementation.
Final thoughts on BIMI certificates
Final thoughts on BIMI certificates
The choice between a Common Mark Certificate and a Verified Mark Certificate for your BIMI logo ultimately depends on your brand's specific circumstances. If you have a registered trademark and want the highest level of assurance and broadest display support, a VMC is the ideal choice. For brands with established but unregistered logos, a CMC offers a viable entry point into BIMI, although it may have limitations with certain email providers. Regardless of the certificate type, the goal remains the same: to enhance trust and brand recognition through visual indicators in the inbox.
Successful BIMI implementation hinges on meticulous attention to your email authentication records and the proper setup of your Mark Certificate. By understanding the requirements for BIMI logo display and leveraging tools like Suped for DMARC monitoring, your brand can confidently display its logo, fostering greater trust and engagement with your audience.
