{"id":18070,"date":"2024-10-30T18:26:12","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T22:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thesslstore.com\/blog\/?p=18070"},"modified":"2025-02-11T12:51:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T17:51:30","slug":"common-mark-certificates-make-it-easier-to-display-your-logo-in-gmail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesslstore.com\/blog\/common-mark-certificates-make-it-easier-to-display-your-logo-in-gmail\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Mark Certificates Make It Easier to Display Your Logo in Gmail\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Companies can now display their logos as their brand avatars in messages to Gmail recipients (like in the picture above) without needing a registered trademark   <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Want to display your brand\u2019s logo as the avatar on your emails in Gmail? Up until recently, the only way to do this was to verify your trademarked logo using a Verified Mark Certificate<\/a> (VMC). But this approach didn\u2019t work for all organizations because it required a registered logo trademark, which most businesses don\u2019t have, and getting one requires a costly and time-consuming registration process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter the Common Mark Certificate<\/a> (CMC), a solution that is accessible to nearly every organization \u2014 no trademark required. But what makes CMCs different and how are they beneficial to businesses? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s hash it out.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<\/span>\n\n\n

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Learn About the Latest Mark Certificates and BIMI Updates<\/p>

Check out the article 6 Updates to Know About Mark Certificates and BIMI<\/a> to get the latest information relating to the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) standard and Mark Certificates. <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Common Mark Certificate? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Common Mark Certificate<\/strong> (CMC) is the newest type of Mark Certificate<\/strong><\/a> that allows you to display your brand logo alongside emails you send to Gmail users. CMCs simply require proof of prior logo use or a modified trademark to display your brand\u2019s logo next to the sender\u2019s name field in outbound messages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get a Common Mark Certificate<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Common Mark Certificates make emails you send stand out in recipients\u2019 inboxes, while also fighting against email spoofing and making the entire email ecosystem more trustworthy. Here\u2019s how Felix Tatrai, Deliverability Advisor at the email marketing platform Inxmail<\/a>, describes it:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA CMC is a sign of trust. It signals the authenticity of an email and helps recipients to recognize phishing. At the same time, it can be a decisive advantage to stand out in a flood of emails in the inbox. I don\u2019t need a registered trademark for a CMC, so more organizations can now benefit from the potential of BIMI.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Quick Look at a CMC <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, what will a CMC look like? Here’s a quick example of how a Common Mark Certificate-enabled logo displays in Gmail webmail: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Common
Image caption: An example of an email that was sent from a domain using a Common Mark Certificate.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This differs from Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs)<\/strong>, which are the original type of Mark Certificates with more stringent requirements that allow you to display both your logo and a blue checkmark in Gmail<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the differences between these two types of Mark Certificates.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Common Mark Certificate vs a Verified Mark Certificate <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

TL;DR: A VMC displays a blue verified checkmark in addition to your logo; a CMC simply displays your logo (but is much easier to get).<\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it’s true that a CMC doesn\u2019t have the same stringent trademark requirements, the downside is that it also means you can\u2019t display a blue \u201cverified\u201d checkmark next to your brand\u2019s logo. (That benefit is reserved for VMCs only.) But that\u2019s not the only difference between these two types of Mark Certificates email branding certificates.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an overview of the differences between these two overarching categories of Mark Certificates<\/a>:   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/td>Common Mark Certificate<\/strong> <\/td>Verified Mark Certificate<\/strong> <\/td><\/tr>
Uses <\/td>A certificate that allows you to display a logo in Gmail that doesn\u2019t have to be trademarked <\/td>A certificate that allows you to display your registered trademark logo or Government-claimed mark in multiple email clients <\/td><\/tr>
Logo Requirements <\/td>Either you have used the logo on your website for at least a year, or the logo is an acceptable modification of a registered mark <\/td>Requires use of a brand logo that has a valid registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office <\/td><\/tr>
Validation  <\/td>Validates your organization details, domain control, and requires showing 12+ month use of the logo <\/td> Validates your organization details, domain control, and trademark registration <\/td><\/tr>
Cost <\/td>Costs significantly less than VMCs, in part because of its lower validation requirements and the fact it doesn\u2019t require a registered mark <\/td>A bit more expensive due to the manual validation requirements performed by the Mark Verifying Authority that will issue the certificate <\/td><\/tr>
Logo Display <\/td>Yes, your logo will display on emails you send to Gmail users <\/td>Yes, your logo will display on emails you send to users of Gmail, Apple, and other emails clients <\/td><\/tr>
Verified Checkmark in Google Mail (Gmail) <\/td>No verified checkmark in Gmail <\/td>Yes, a verified checkmark will display in Gmail <\/td><\/tr>
 <\/td>Get a CMC<\/a> <\/td>Get a VMC<\/a> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But what does it look like when you receive emails that use VMCs, CMCs, or no Mark Certificates at all? Let\u2019s take a gander at how these emails display in Gmail webmail: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Image caption: Three screenshots that show what emails look like (in Gmail webmail) when sent with no Mark Certificate (bottom), a Common Mark Certificate (center), or a Verified Mark Certificate (top).<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, what does this look like in the Gmail app for iOS mobile users? Let\u2019s take a look: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Image caption: A set of screenshots that demonstrate the difference between how emails display for iOS Gmail app users when sent with a CMC (left) and a VMC (right). <\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Breaking Down the Types of Mark Certificates in More Detail <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the BIMI Group\u2019s latest Minimum Security Requirements for Issuance of Mark Certificates<\/a> (March 7, 2024), there are two types of Mark Certificates, and each type also has two sub-types. Here\u2019s a list to help keep the types straight: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Common Mark Certificates  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These certificates don\u2019t require the use of a registered trademark, making them more accessible for all companies that want to enable digital trust. These don\u2019t have the verified blue checkmark you see in the screenshot above. The two sub-types are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n