Do Gmail profile pictures still work for mass emails and what are the alternatives for displaying logos?

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that while Gmail profile pictures can improve brand recognition, their effectiveness in mass emails is inconsistent. He suggests focusing on strong sender reputation and engaging content.

Email marketer from Litmus suggests using consistent branding elements, such as logos and color schemes, in email campaigns to improve brand recognition. They also advise optimizing emails for different devices and email clients.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that Gmail profile pictures work for personal emails and known contacts, while VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) is required for business addresses to display logos, suggesting Google is pushing BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification).

Email marketer from Reddit states that Gmail profile pictures are unreliable for mass emails due to changes in Google's algorithms. They suggest focusing on building a strong sender reputation and using BIMI as a more reliable alternative.

Email marketer from Stackoverflow explains that BIMI and VMC helps with getting your logo displayed, otherwise you are relying on the email provider using whatever information they have available to them to decide what to display.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that consistent email branding, including logos, can enhance brand recognition. They advise using well-designed email templates and ensuring images are optimized for different devices.

Email marketer from Gmass explains that if you want to ensure that your picture is visible in Gmail, you need to add the contact's email to your Google Contacts list, which increases the likelyhood that the picture is shown.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an alternative to display logos in Gmail. BIMI requires SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, along with a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) for guaranteed logo display.

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares tips on improving email design, including using high-quality images, creating a clear visual hierarchy, and ensuring emails are accessible to all recipients. Good design can draw focus instead of a profile pic.

Expert from Email Geeks recommends looking at Apple Business Connect and links to an article regarding it.

Expert from Spam Resource responds by discussing Apple Business Connect as a free (but potentially arduous to set up) alternative to BIMI for logo display.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Gmail profile pictures are still working for them and provides an example of Liz Stack from Yotpo's newsletter showing her profile picture.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests setting up BIMI without a VMC is worth trying because there is no cost to set it up.

Expert from Word to the Wise responds with tips on how to implement BIMI to save costs on VMC by using a single VMC across multiple domains.

Documentation from DMARC.org outlines the importance of DMARC policies for email authentication. It explains how DMARC, along with SPF and DKIM, helps prevent email spoofing and ensures that only legitimate emails are delivered to recipients' inboxes.

Documentation from Google Support states that the profile picture associated with a Google account may appear in sent emails, but its display depends on several factors, including the recipient's settings and whether the sender is in their contacts. It does not guarantee display in mass emails.

Documentation from BIMI Group details the steps to implement BIMI, including setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, obtaining a VMC, and publishing the BIMI DNS record. It clarifies that BIMI allows you to display your brand logo in supported email clients.

Documentation from RFC Editor specifies the technical standard for SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records. It details the syntax and usage of SPF records, which are used to authorize email sending sources for a domain.