The AuthIndicators Working Group (BIMI Group) has introduced a new capability to enhance Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI), which Google is now officially supporting in Gmail. This update extends beyond Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), which requires a trademark or registered government mark. Now, brands have more flexibility in the logos which they may use for BIMI alongside their authenticated emails through the new Common Mark Certificate (CMC). With Google’s support of this significant extension, brands have more flexibility in protecting their email communications while increasing logo visibility and strengthening recipient trust.
Trademarks are the highest security bar for validating a logo, but obtaining them can be cumbersome and cost prohibitive for smaller companies. It has been the goal of the BIMI group to ensure accessibility for brands of all sizes, and CMC is the first major step in that direction since VMC.
BIMI allows brands to display their validated logos next to authenticated emails, helping drive brand trust in the inbox. With Google’s new updates, brands now have the option to use CMCs as an alternative to VMCs. The shift towards CMCs provides greater flexibility and more affordable pathways for brands of all sizes, who either do not have the right thing trademarked or do not have a trademark at all, looking to enhance their email marketing efforts while ensuring the security of their email communications.
This update extends BIMI to brands that previously couldn’t take advantage of it in Gmail due to the cost and requirements of VMCs or trademark registration. By supporting CMCs, Google opens up BIMI to a broader range of businesses, including smaller brands. Now, more companies can enhance their email marketing efforts with authenticated logos, ensuring visibility in inboxes while maintaining brand trust and security. This move makes it easier for businesses of all sizes to participate in the BIMI standard.
“Support for CMC represents the culmination of many years of work by the AuthIndicators Working Group to make BIMI more broadly accessible,” says Seth Blank, Chair of the AuthIndicators Working Group. “The rollout of these updates signifies Google’s commitment to evolving email authentication practices to better safeguard the reputation of brands around the world. CMC demonstrates that brands of all sizes can enrich their brand-to-consumer communications while also securing them.”
For marketing professionals, this is an opportunity to leverage the security benefits of CMCs to strengthen brand identity in email campaigns. As more inbox providers adopt BIMI, ensuring your brand has the proper authentication in place is crucial for visibility and trust in the email ecosystem. Brand security and authenticity are not only a critical path for enterprises, but for every company wishing to engage a recipient over email.
Google’s support for CMCs alongside BIMI adds another layer of security and credibility, helping protect your brand while enhancing the overall customer experience.
The verification processes for CMCs and VMCs are documented in sections 3.2.16 and 3.2.17, respectively, of the “Minimum Security Requirements for Issuance of Mark Certificates” document found here – https://bimigroup.org/resources/VMC_Requirements_latest.pdf
For more information on purchasing a CMC please contact the Certificate Providers listed on our MVA details page.
The BIMI Group looks forward to wider adoption of the standard for both Brands and Mailbox providers looking to have logos shown to their mutual consumers.
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