What causes the wrong logo to appear next to the sender ID in Yahoo Mail if BIMI isn't configured?

8 Marketer opinions 4 Expert opinions 5 Technical articles 5 Resources

Summary

In the absence of BIMI, Yahoo Mail employs various methods to display a sender's logo, including legacy systems, algorithmic guesses based on domain reputation and public information, scraping logos, and using cached or shared data. These methods are unreliable and often result in incorrect logo display due to outdated or inaccurate information. Yahoo also generates initials as avatars when no image is available. The core issue is Yahoo's attempt to associate a logo without the formal verification that BIMI provides. These associations are prone to error and outdated information can result in incorrect logos being shown.

Key findings

BIMI Absence: Lack of BIMI configuration triggers Yahoo to use alternative methods.
Legacy Systems: Legacy systems may display logos incorrectly.
Algorithmic Guessing: Yahoo guesses logos based on domain reputation and public data, often inaccurately.
Data Sources: Yahoo uses WHOIS records, social media, and website scraping.
Caching & Sharing: Yahoo may pull from old cached data or shared databases.
Inference: Yahoo makes inferences that can be incorrect, inferring details from different entities.
Outdated Association: Yahoo and other providers will attempt to associate a logo with a sending domain based on available data, but without the formal verification of BIMI, these associations are prone to error and outdated information can result in incorrect logos being shown.

Key considerations

Implement BIMI: Implement BIMI for accurate logo display, including obtaining a VMC.
Check Yahoo Resources: Consult Yahoo's help pages and guidelines.
Update Public Data: Ensure public domain and company information are current.
Yahoo Support: Tweeting at `@yahoomail` might resolve specific issues.

What email marketers say
8Marketer opinions

Without BIMI configured, Yahoo Mail attempts to display a logo next to the sender ID using various methods, including domain information, cached data, publicly available sources, and algorithmic guesses. These methods often result in inaccuracies due to outdated information, incorrect associations, generic logos, or scraping the wrong logo from the sender's website. Ultimately it is 'best guess' work by Yahoo.

Key opinions

Fallback Logos: Yahoo uses fallback logos based on domain or company information, which may be inaccurate.
Cached Data: Logos might be pulled from previous campaigns or cached versions, leading to outdated images.
Algorithmic Selection: Yahoo employs algorithms to choose logos from publicly available information, but these are prone to errors.
Generic Logos: If a suitable logo is not found, Yahoo may default to a generic logo.
Website Scraping: Yahoo might scrape logos from the sender's website, but there's no guarantee of accuracy or timeliness.
Legacy Methods: Legacy methods relying on guesswork based on domain names can display incorrect logos.
Shared Databases: Logos can be pulled from shared databases used by multiple companies, causing confusion.
Incorrect Associations: Yahoo's algorithm can make incorrect associations based on outdated domain registration information.

Key considerations

BIMI Implementation: Implementing BIMI is the most reliable way to ensure the correct logo is displayed in Yahoo Mail.
Yahoo Help Pages: Checking Yahoo's help pages might provide specific guidance or troubleshooting steps.
Data Accuracy: Ensure that domain registration and publicly available company information are up-to-date.
Cache Clearing: It might be necessary to clear Yahoo's cache or report the incorrect logo for correction.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog shares that the wrong logo can appear if Yahoo is pulling from old cached data or a shared database used by multiple companies with similar names or branding.

October 2022 - Email Marketing Tips Blog

Marketer view

Email marketer from LinkedIn suggests that Yahoo's algorithm might be making incorrect associations based on domain registration information or publicly available data that hasn't been updated.

December 2022 - LinkedIn

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailVendorSelection indicates that without BIMI, Yahoo may be using legacy methods to display logos, which can involve guesswork based on domain names or sender addresses. This often results in the wrong logo being displayed.

January 2022 - EmailVendorSelection

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that Yahoo may be using algorithmically chosen logos based on publicly available information if BIMI isn't configured. This can sometimes lead to inaccuracies.

November 2022 - Email Marketing Forum

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that Yahoo could be pulling a logo from a previous email campaign or a cached version of the company's logo. It's worth checking Yahoo's help pages for clarification.

January 2023 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeeks mentions that Yahoo might be scraping logos from the sender's website or other online sources, but without BIMI, there's no guarantee it will be the correct or most up-to-date logo.

February 2024 - EmailGeeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora answers that Yahoo might be using a generic or default logo if the sender doesn't have BIMI configured and they can't find a suitable logo from other sources.

August 2021 - Quora

Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that Yahoo might be using a fallback logo based on the domain or company information they have on file, which may not be accurate.

June 2021 - StackExchange

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

When BIMI is not configured, Yahoo Mail attempts to display a logo by guessing based on domain reputation, publicly available information, and legacy systems. These methods are often inaccurate and can result in the wrong logo being displayed, and they attempt to associate a logo with a sending domain based on available data, but without the formal verification of BIMI, these associations are prone to error and outdated information can result in incorrect logos being shown. Yahoo may also display automatically generated initials as avatars if no image is available. Tweeting at `@yahoomail` is suggested as a potential way to address incorrect information.

Key opinions

Legacy Systems: Legacy systems may display logos incorrectly, motivating the use of BIMI.
Algorithmic Guessing: Yahoo attempts to guess the correct logo using domain reputation and public data, which is often inaccurate.
Automatic Initials: Yahoo generates initials as avatars when no image is available.
Inference Errors: Yahoo might incorrectly infer information, such as displaying details from a different country's division.
Data Association Errors: Yahoo and other providers will attempt to associate a logo with a sending domain based on available data, but without the formal verification of BIMI, these associations are prone to error and outdated information can result in incorrect logos being shown.

Key considerations

BIMI Implementation: Implement BIMI for accurate logo display and to remove human error.
Contact Yahoo Support: Tweeting at `@yahoomail` might help address specific issues.
Data Accuracy: Ensure domain reputation and public information are accurate.

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that Yahoo (and other providers) will attempt to associate a logo with a sending domain based on available data, but without the formal verification of BIMI, these associations are prone to error and outdated information can result in incorrect logos being shown.

February 2025 - Word to the Wise

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests Tweeting at `@yahoomail` as Yahoo might be inferring helpfulness incorrectly, showing information from a different country's division of the company.

June 2021 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that without BIMI, Yahoo tries to guess the correct logo based on domain reputation and publicly available information, but these guesses are often inaccurate, leading to the wrong logo being displayed.

October 2023 - Spam Resource

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that legacy systems may show a logo, sometimes incorrectly, which is why BIMI exists to remove human error. Yahoo also generates initials as avatars when no image is available.

June 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

According to various documentation sources, the absence of BIMI configuration in Yahoo Mail leads to the incorrect logo being displayed because Yahoo attempts to identify and display a logo using information available on the internet, within their systems, WHOIS records, social media, and other public sources. These methods are unreliable and can result in errors due to incomplete or outdated information. BIMI, using a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), provides a secure and verified way to display logos, ensuring accuracy.

Key findings

Unreliable Methods: Without BIMI, Yahoo uses unreliable methods to display logos.
Incomplete Information: Yahoo attempts to display logos based on incomplete or outdated information, resulting in errors.
Public Sources: Yahoo falls back on WHOIS records, social media, and other public sources to identify and display logos.
Inaccurate Guarantees: Yahoo does not guarantee the accuracy of the logo if BIMI is not set up.
Verified Ownership: BIMI uses a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) to validate logo ownership.

Key considerations

BIMI Configuration: Configure BIMI to ensure the correct logo is displayed.
VMC Acquisition: Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) for BIMI implementation.
Data Accuracy: Ensure that information available on the internet and public sources is accurate to minimize errors in Yahoo's logo display when BIMI is not configured.

Technical article

Documentation from BIMI Official Website clarifies that BIMI ensures the correct logo is displayed. Without BIMI, email providers like Yahoo may use other methods to display a logo which can be unreliable.

November 2024 - BIMI Official Website

Technical article

Documentation from Proofpoint explains that BIMI provides a secure way to display verified logos. Without BIMI, email providers might attempt to show a logo based on incomplete or outdated information, resulting in errors.

December 2023 - Proofpoint

Technical article

Documentation from Valimail emphasizes that BIMI uses a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) to validate logo ownership. In the absence of BIMI, Yahoo's logo display is unpredictable and may rely on various unreliable sources.

October 2024 - Valimail

Technical article

Documentation from DMARC Analyzer highlights that without BIMI, Yahoo's systems may fall back on using information from WHOIS records, social media, or other public sources to identify and display a logo, potentially leading to errors.

October 2021 - DMARC Analyzer

Technical article

Documentation from Yahoo Help indicates that if BIMI is not set up, Yahoo will attempt to display a logo based on information available on the internet and within their systems, but it does not guarantee the accuracy of the logo.

February 2022 - Yahoo Help

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