How to Display Your Logo in Web Mail Accounts

Your logo is your main visual identifier. Oftentimes people will only get a glimpse of your brand if they open your email and see it at the top of the message. A much more effective way for email contacts to identify your brand is by showing your logo up front, even before they open the email. You want to make that first visual impression count! But how?

A growing number of ISPs are, therefore, exploring the marketing opportunities of displaying brand logos directly in webmail clients (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail), indicating them as « trusted » and « official » brands.

What are the benefits?

• Increasing brand visibility and recognition by putting your brand in front of customers
• Enhancing the user experience, as users will see your logo and be able to trust that the email is from you
• Increasing email engagement due to these trusted communications
• Motivating adoption of authentication by other companies
• Avoiding fraudulent email and improving email safety in general

Unfortunately, there isn’t a gold standard when it comes to displaying logos in web mailers. So here is an overview of the most relevant programs you can join and how to start the implementation process.

1. BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification)

BIMI wants to create an open standard for displaying logos for verified brand domains. The project is currently testing (beta) for Verizon (AOL.com, yahoo.com).

How to implement it? The implementation of DMARC is required for BIMI. The brand logo location can be found in the DNS and participation requires registration (Mapp is happy to help). Find out more about implementing BIMI here.

2. Gmail Schema

Using Schema.org, it’s possible to announce promotional content with the logo displayed, as well as action buttons (e.g. for booking flights, announcing coupon codes etc.)

How to implement it? The technology is based on JavaScript. Developers can find further information here for the implementation process: https://developers.google.com/gmail/markup/

3. “Brand Cards” from Microsoft

Verified businesses get a blue tick next to their company logo – similar to how Twitter and Instagram indicate verified accounts.

How to implement it? Businesses can register at https://business.microsoft.com/for the BrandCards Beta. This will come out later in 2019.

4. Trusted Dialog

Operating only in Germany, United Internet Media provides this service for gmx.de, web.de, Freenet, 1&1, and T-Online. It is a paid service guaranteeing inbox placement and displaying brand logos in the inbox.

How to implement it? This paid service can only be requested at United Internet if the sending reputation allows participation.