Deliverability & the inbox
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification)
Also known as: brand indicators · email logo
An email-authentication extension that lets a brand display its verified logo next to messages in the inbox — requires DMARC at enforcement, a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate), and an SVG logo published in DNS.
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is the mechanism that puts a brand's logo next to its messages in supporting inbox clients (Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail iOS 16+). Prerequisites: DMARC enforced at p=quarantine or p=reject for at least 30 days, a publicly-hosted SVG Tiny 1.2 version of the logo, and a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) purchased from DigiCert or Entrust that cryptographically binds the logo to the domain. The DNS record at default._bimi.domain.tld points to the SVG and VMC. BIMI doesn't improve deliverability directly — its value is brand-signal in the inbox, driving open-rate lift typically cited at 5-10%. For most sending domains, VMC cost ($1,500-2,000/year) is only worth it if the brand is sufficiently recognised that the logo adds recognition.