Why isn't my BIMI logo showing in Gmail, despite correct implementation and a VMC?
Summary
What email marketers say15Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Stack Overflow points out that the SVG format of the logo must adhere strictly to BIMI's requirements. Issues such as incorrect file headers or unsupported features can prevent the logo from displaying, even if the VMC is valid.
Email marketer from Email Geeks states that there are much larger companies implementing DMARC and BIMI just fine, so I don't think you are outsized here.
Email marketer from Mailjet notes that a possible issue is the difference between setting up BIMI on a subdomain versus the main domain. Ensure that the DMARC policy is correctly applied to both if using a subdomain for sending emails.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks forum suggests that DNS propagation delays can be a factor. Even if the BIMI record is correctly configured, it might take time for the changes to propagate across the internet, especially if the DNS record was only added recently.
Email marketer from Email Geeks emphasises that domain owners must have a strong DMARC policy (quarantine or reject) on *both* the organizational domain and the RFC5322.From domain of the message.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares there are exceptions for Yahoo, but generally, you should get your domain protected.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that incorrect syntax in the BIMI DNS record can cause issues. Typos or incorrect formatting can prevent the record from being correctly interpreted by email providers, resulting in the logo not displaying.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that to participate in BIMI, domain owners must have a strong DMARC policy (quarantine or reject) on both the organizational domain and the RFC5322.From domain of the message.
Email marketer from Reddit notes that a frequent cause is that the VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) isn't properly issued or hasn't propagated correctly. They suggest verifying the VMC with a BIMI validator tool.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce suggests regularly reviewing DMARC reports and logs to identify any issues that could prevent BIMI from working correctly. Monitoring these reports can help pinpoint configuration problems.
Email marketer from Valimail shares that BIMI implementation involves several steps, including setting up DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, and ensuring your logo meets specific requirements. A common issue is that the VMC isn't correctly validated, leading to the logo not displaying.
Email marketer from Email Geeks says shouldn't be that big of an uphill climb if they know what they are doing. The SPF record on livenation has room to breath with less than 10 DNS lookups. The ticketmaster one they'll have to be careful and see if they can remove unused platforms as it is hitting the 10 DNS lookup limit on that SPF.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that incomplete BIMI support from certain mailbox providers can be a reason. While Gmail supports BIMI, other providers may not, or their implementation might be partial, so the logo won't display for all recipients.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that it could be an opportunity to clean house on DNS records and they may have records they don't even need and don't have the one they should need.
Email marketer from GMass recommends thoroughly testing the BIMI implementation with various email clients to identify potential issues. Sending test emails to different email providers can reveal if the logo displays correctly across different platforms.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks notes that it's usually the other way around. The IT and security people want to lock it down and go to p=reject while the marketing folks tend to be less interested. It's not only that the one domain does 900 things, it's probably also that they have 900 domains and the whole concept of moving everything to enforcement feels overwhelming.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that a common reason for a BIMI logo not displaying, despite correct implementation, is caching issues at the receiving mail server. Clearing the server's cache might resolve the problem.
Expert from Word to the Wise highlights that limited adoption by mailbox providers can cause BIMI logos not to appear universally. Ensure you're testing with providers that fully support BIMI, like Gmail, before assuming there's an error in your setup.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from dmarcian explains that DMARC policy enforcement issues can prevent BIMI logos from appearing. The DMARC record must be correctly configured and actively enforced (p=quarantine or p=reject) for BIMI to work.
Documentation from AuthSMTP emphasizes ensuring that the DNS setup is correct for BIMI. This includes the correct placement and content of the BIMI, DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records. Incorrect DNS configuration is a common cause of BIMI implementation failure.
Documentation from BIMI Group FAQ explains that to display a BIMI logo, senders need a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject. This policy needs to be implemented on both the organizational domain and the sending domain.
Documentation from Entrust highlights that issues with VMC certificate validation can prevent the BIMI logo from displaying. The VMC must be issued by an approved Certification Authority and correctly installed. Validation errors can occur if the certificate is not properly configured.