What are the benefits of using CMC certificates for BIMI logos?

Summary

Using CMC certificates for BIMI logos offers a comprehensive approach to enhancing email marketing. Google's support simplifies adoption by removing the trademark requirement. The primary benefits include enhanced brand trust, visibility, and recognition through verified logos, leading to improved engagement and customer confidence. CMCs also bolster email security by authenticating senders, preventing spoofing, and enabling stricter DMARC enforcement, thus improving deliverability. Furthermore, they simplify logo management, help differentiate brands in competitive inboxes, and ensure consistent, standardized brand representation across various email clients, signaling legitimacy to recipients. Moving forward, it is implied that adopting CMC certificates will be important, as less secure methods will become obsolete.

Key findings

  • Simplified BIMI Adoption: Google's support for CMC certificates eliminates the trademark requirement, easing BIMI implementation.
  • Enhanced Brand Trust: Verified logos increase recipient trust by indicating the sender's legitimacy.
  • Improved Email Engagement: Visually verified logos improve open and click-through rates.
  • Increased Brand Visibility: Displaying recognizable logos helps reinforce brand awareness.
  • Improved Email Security: CMCs prevent spoofing and phishing attacks by authenticating sender identity.
  • Stronger DMARC Protection: CMCs facilitate DMARC enforcement (p=reject or p=quarantine) for enhanced security.
  • Better Deliverability: Verified senders have a higher likelihood of reaching the inbox, avoiding spam filters.
  • Consistent Brand Representation: CMCs guarantee consistent display of logos across different email providers and devices.
  • Simplified Logo Management: Logo management is simplified through verified CMCs.
  • Differentiation in the Inbox: BIMI with CMCs helps brands stand out in the inbox.

Key considerations

  • Implementation Complexity: Implementing BIMI with CMCs involves following specific requirements outlined in relevant documentation (e.g., 'Minimum Security Requirements for Issuance of Mark Certificates').
  • Cost and Maintenance: Organizations should consider the financial costs associated with obtaining and maintaining the certificates.
  • Transition to CMC Certificates: Organizations should consider transitioning to CMC certificates, as current methods may be become obsolete.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Using CMC certificates for BIMI logos offers numerous benefits for email marketing. It enhances brand recognition and trust by displaying a verified logo in the inbox, improving email engagement rates and brand visibility. CMCs also bolster email security by authenticating sender identity, preventing spoofing, and enabling stricter DMARC enforcement. Additionally, they simplify logo management, help differentiate brands, increase the likelihood of emails reaching the inbox, and ensure consistent brand representation across various email clients, signaling legitimacy to recipients.

Key opinions

  • Enhanced Brand Trust: CMC certificates verify sender identity, fostering greater trust among email recipients.
  • Improved Engagement: Visually prominent and verified logos increase open and click-through rates.
  • Increased Security: CMCs aid in preventing spoofing and phishing attacks, protecting brand reputation.
  • DMARC Enforcement: Using CMCs facilitates the implementation of stricter DMARC policies (p=reject or p=quarantine).
  • Competitive Advantage: BIMI with CMCs helps brands stand out in increasingly crowded inboxes.
  • Better Deliverability: Verified senders are more likely to land in the inbox, avoiding spam filters.
  • Simplified Logo Management: CMCs ensure consistent and accurate display of logos across email clients.
  • Signaled Legitimacy: Verified logos reassure recipients, preventing confusion with phishing attempts.
  • Standardized Brand Representation: CMCs ensure consistent brand representation for companies.

Key considerations

  • Implementation: Organizations need to follow the processes outlined in the "Minimum Security Requirements for Issuance of Mark Certificates" document.
  • Adoption: While offering many benefits, BIMI and CMC adoption is still growing, meaning benefits are maximized when supported by email providers.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailVendorSelection.com shares that CMC certificates for BIMI logos can improve email engagement rates by making emails visually stand out in the inbox, which can lead to higher open and click-through rates.

January 2022 - EmailVendorSelection.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid.com explains that BIMI with CMC certificates can help brands differentiate themselves from competitors in the inbox, especially as more organizations adopt BIMI, making it a competitive advantage.

June 2023 - SendGrid.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow shares that using a CMC with BIMI simplifies logo management, as the logo is verified and can be consistently displayed across different email clients that support BIMI.

November 2024 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from OnlySenders.com shares that BIMI with CMC certificates helps organizations move towards DMARC enforcement (p=reject or p=quarantine), providing stronger protection against email spoofing and phishing attacks.

February 2022 - OnlySenders.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that BIMI with CMC certificates allows for standardized brand representation in the email inbox, ensuring the logo is displayed correctly and consistently across different email providers.

August 2022 - Litmus.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from ZeroBounce.net shares that BIMI implementation, facilitated by CMC certificates, increases the chances of your emails landing in the recipient's inbox rather than the spam folder, as it signifies a higher level of sender trustworthiness.

April 2022 - ZeroBounce.net
Marketer view

Email marketer from RedHat.com explains that CMC certificates improve email security by authenticating the sender's identity and preventing spoofing and phishing attacks, helping to protect the brand's reputation and customer trust.

December 2022 - RedHat.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that BIMI with CMC certificates signals legitimacy to email recipients, reassuring them that the email is not a phishing attempt or spam.

May 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email Marketer from Email Geeks explains that the verification processes for CMCs and VMCs are documented in sections 3.2.16 and 3.2.17 of the “Minimum Security Requirements for Issuance of Mark Certificates” document found here - <https://bimigroup.org/resources/VMC_Requirements_latest.pdf>.

March 2025 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

The use of CMC certificates for BIMI logos provides enhanced brand recognition and builds trust by verifying the authenticity of the sender's logo in the inbox. Google's support for CMC certificates simplifies the process of obtaining a BIMI logo, as trademarked logos are no longer required. Experts suggest that CMC certificates represent the future of email logo verification, hinting that current, less secure methods may become obsolete. This move enhances email professionalism and helps recipients easily distinguish legitimate emails from phishing attempts.

Key opinions

  • Simplified Logo Acquisition: Google's support for CMC certificates removes the trademark requirement for BIMI logos.
  • Enhanced Brand Recognition: Verified brand logos enhance recognition and build trust with recipients.
  • Future-Proofing: CMC certificates signal a shift towards more secure logo verification methods.
  • Improved Email Security: Helps recipients distinguish legitimate emails from phishing attempts.

Key considerations

  • Transition: Organizations should consider transitioning to CMC certificates as current methods may become obsolete.
  • Adoption: While Google supports CMC Certificates, it is important to consider if all mail providers adopt this.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks asks how long will Gmail continue to allow the fake method of using logos, implying that the CMC method is the future.

August 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Google just announced support for CMC certificates for BIMI support, making it easier for folks to get a BIMI logo -- trademarked logo no longer required. He also provides a link to the announcement: <https://xnnd.com/7p7c> and a link to his video <https://xnnd.com/sfwv> about what this means.

September 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that BIMI, especially when implemented with CMC certificates, enhances brand recognition in the inbox by displaying a verified brand logo, leading to increased trust and engagement from recipients. This makes emails more identifiable, professional and makes it easier to distinguish from phishing attacks.

December 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Using CMC certificates for BIMI logos enhances email brand trust by providing visual verification of the sender's logo through trusted certification authorities, assuring recipients of the email's legitimacy. This also increases brand visibility in the inbox, making the email more recognizable and reinforcing brand awareness. Furthermore, it helps organizations comply with stringent email authentication standards, improving deliverability and reducing the risk of being marked as spam. CMC implementation also strengthens DMARC protection, ultimately fostering greater confidence in email communications.

Key findings

  • Enhanced Brand Trust: Visual verification via trusted certification authorities assures recipients of email legitimacy.
  • Increased Brand Visibility: Displayed logos make emails more recognizable, reinforcing brand awareness.
  • Compliance with Standards: Helps meet increasingly stringent email authentication standards and regulations.
  • Improved Deliverability: Reduces the risk of emails being flagged as spam.
  • Strengthened DMARC Protection: Improves DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) protection.

Key considerations

  • Implementation Complexity: Organizations need to follow the prescribed processes by Certificate Authorities.
  • Cost: There may be financial costs involved in acquiring and maintaining the certificates.
Technical article

Documentation from DigiCert explains that using CMC certificates for BIMI helps increase brand visibility in the inbox by displaying the brand's logo next to the email, making it more recognizable and helping to reinforce brand awareness.

January 2022 - DigiCert.com
Technical article

Documentation from GlobalSign explains that CMCs provide authentication through trusted Certificate Authorities, giving email recipients confidence that the sender is legitimate and their logo is authentic.

March 2022 - globalsign.com
Technical article

Documentation from Fastmail.com explains that by implementing BIMI with CMC certificates, domains improve their DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) protection.

February 2023 - Fastmail.com
Technical article

Documentation from BIMI Group Website explains that using CMC certificates with BIMI enhances brand trust by providing a visual indication that the email sender's logo has been verified by a trusted certification authority, assuring recipients of the legitimacy of the email.

November 2023 - BIMI Group Website
Technical article

Documentation from Entrust explains that using CMC certificates for BIMI helps organizations comply with increasingly stringent email authentication standards and regulations, which can help improve email deliverability and reduce the risk of being flagged as spam.

August 2024 - Entrust.com