What are the best practices for emailing a list after a rebrand when the client doesn't want to mention the old brand?

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
10Marketer 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.

July 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.

November 2021 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that warming up your email list is a crucial step when starting with a new domain or IP address. Send emails to your most engaged subscribers first and gradually increase the volume to avoid being flagged as spam.

May 2021 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass shares the best way to reintroduce a business after a rebrand is to be transparent, concise and human in the emails that are sent out. Ensuring the recipient understands who you are and why you're emailing them is of utmost importance.

May 2024 - Gmass
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that you shouldn't expect good results by announcing an unrelated product to people who used to purchase a product that you're no longer selling and also not mentioning. Legality has little to do with deliverability.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOctopus shares that segmenting your list and sending targeted campaigns is essential for re-engagement. Focus on subscribers who have shown recent activity or engagement to improve deliverability and open rates. Send a series of welcome emails introducing the new brand and its offerings.

September 2023 - EmailOctopus
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot explains that cleaning your email list regularly is essential for maintaining good deliverability. Remove inactive subscribers, bounced emails, and spam traps. A clean list improves your sender reputation and ensures your emails reach engaged subscribers.

December 2021 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains that it's crucial to set expectations and provide value, especially after a rebrand. They emphasize that recipients need to understand why they are receiving emails and what they will gain from staying subscribed. Transparency builds trust and reduces unsubscribes.

March 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that even if legal, sending emails after a rebrand without mentioning it can be perceived as spam. Recipients may not trust the sender, leading to negative signals to spam filters and a potential disaster.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that you should implement a sunset policy to remove inactive subscribers. Before removing them, send a re-engagement campaign to confirm their interest. If they do not respond, remove them from your list to improve deliverability.

December 2023 - Sendinblue

What the experts say
4Expert 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.

July 2022 - 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.

May 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource suggests that ignoring the rebrand can lead to confusion and mistrust among subscribers, potentially resulting in increased spam complaints and decreased engagement rates. When subscribers don't recognize the sender or understand the reason for the emails, they are more likely to mark the messages as spam.

April 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that while it's likely legal to email in the US after a rebrand without mentioning it, the results could be poor. The reputation will likely suffer, and engaged subscribers may no longer be engaged without name recognition, making it a potentially unwinnable situation.

September 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical 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.

July 2021 - 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.

March 2023 - RFC 7208
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org details the implementation of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM to provide a policy for handling emails that fail authentication checks. It allows domain owners to specify how receiving mail servers should handle unauthenticated emails.

August 2021 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability. They advise consistently authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Also, monitoring feedback loops and promptly addressing complaints helps maintain a positive reputation.

August 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help