Display your Brand Logo Next to Your Emails and Boost Open Rates
DigiCert Common Mark Certificate (CMC)
Enhanced Brand Recognition & Email Open RatesCommon Mark Certificate (CMC) is a very innovative digital certification that enhances the security and integrity of email communications with organizations availing additional value and security to their mail systems. DigiCert Common Mark Certificates (CMC) helps brands to display the symbol of an email message sender to identify them better. Hence, the recipient of your email will see your company's logo even before opening the actual message.
Build Trust, Protect Your Brand & Boost Engagement
Display Your Brand Logo in Email Inboxes
Helps Combat Phishing and Spoofing
Strengthens Brand Trust
Improves Brand Visibility
No Trademark Required
Boost Email Engagement
What is a Common Mark Certificate? Why is it Important?
A Common Mark Certificate (CMC) is a digital certificate that verifies your organization's ownership of an eligible common law trademark or qualifying mark, allowing your verified brand logo to appear alongside authenticated emails in supported email providers. Built on the BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) standard, DigiCert CMC Certificate helps recipients recognize legitimate emails, strengthens brand recognition, and reduces the risk of email spoofing and phishing.
What a Common Mark Certificate Does for Your Brand?
CMCs make BIMI accessible to brands that don't have a registered trademark. As long as your logo has been in consistent use for at least a year, a CMC verifies its authenticity, which helps combat phishing since attacks affect roughly seventy percent of organizations globally. Alongside DMARC, DKIM, SPF, and BIMI, a CMC gives recipients an instant visual signal that your email is legitimate, without the cost or delay of trademark registration.
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Verified Brand Identity
This confirms that your organisation really owns a Common Mark. This means only your organisation can use your logo with your emails.
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BIMI Compatibility
Common Mark Certificate works with the BIMI standard. This means your verified logo shows up in email programs that support this. This makes your emails easier to recognise.
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Enhanced Email Security
To get a Common Mark Certificate, you have to use DMARC enforcement. This helps keep your organisation's email domain from fake emails and phishing attacks.
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Increased Brand Visibility
Your verified logo shows up in email boxes that support this. This helps people remember your brand every time your organisation sends an email.
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Builds Customer Trust
People can easily tell if an email is really from your organisation. This makes them more confident in your emails.
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Supports Eligible Common Law Marks
DigiCert CMC is available to organisations that have a Common Mark trademark or other eligible mark. This means more organisations can use BIMI even if they do not have a registered trademark.
Trusted by World Leading Brands
Leading Enterprises use DigiCert Mark Certificates, BIMI, and DMARC to Increase Inbox Trust
Common Mark Certificate Features
- BIMI-DMARC Compliant Solution
- High-assurance Business Validation
- Supported by Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc.
- Unlimited Certificate Reissues
- Enhances Brand Visibility in Emails
- Higher Email Open Rate
- 1 Verified Logo per Certificate
- Display Verified Company Logo
- Add up to 250 domains
Benefits of Common Mark Certificates for BIMI
![Boost Email Open Rates]()
Boost Email Open Rates
Boost Email Open RatesCMCs do improve open rates with the addition of trust and authenticity to your email communication. By including a verified company logo, you can soothe recipients that the communication is legitimate, thus keeping them engaged.
![Enhanced Brand Recognition]()
Enhanced Brand Recognition
Enhanced Brand RecognitionBy displaying the recipient's inbox with your company-recommended logo, CMCs are showcasing brand visibility and recognition. This consistency reinforces branding successfully, thus establishing your business in the eyes of your audience.
![Increase in Email Deliverability]()
Increase in Email Deliverability
Increase in Email DeliverabilityAs CMCs stick to BIMI and DMARC compliance, there's a better chance that the email will stay out of spam and land right into the recipient's inbox. It guarantees improved deliverability of mail and therefore better communication.
![Add up to 250 domains]()
Add up to 250 domains
Add up to 250 domainsOrganizations with several domains can streamline their email branding efforts by combining up to 250 domains under a single Common Mark Certificate (CMC). This flexibility is ideal for businesses with a wider range of email operations.
![Display Verified Company Logo]()
Display Verified Company Logo
Display Verified Company LogoCommon Mark Certificates allow one to place one’s verified logo at prominent positions in the supported email clients, thus amplifying trust and professionalism and then boosting user engagement.
![Easier to Obtain]()
Easier to Obtain
Easier to ObtainWith Common Mark Certs, implementing BIMI no longer requires trademarking your logo. This streamlined process makes CMCs significantly easier to obtain and hassle-free.
How To Get Ready for CMC?
Follow the below rules to prepare yourself for a CMC:
- Be DMARC Compliant: The DMARC record for your domain must be compliant and set to "p=quarantine" or "p=reject."
- Use Your Logo Consistently: The logo should show proof of use on the website for at least 12 consecutive months. This is to assure brand affiliation.
- No Trademark Required: A CMC does not necessarily require a registered trademark. However, if you are using a trademarked logo, consider DigiCert Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) to avail more benefits.
- Format Your Logo: The logo must be BIMI Compliant SVG Image File format and properly sized to meet display standards.
- Purchase the CMC: Purchase Common Mark Cert from CA or Reseller and after that CA will validate all your organization details and issue your certificate if all requirements will be met successfully.
- DNS Records Update: After the issuance of the CMC, a DNS record must be updated, showing a BIMI record with a link to your confirmed logo.
- Automatic Display of Logos: The verified logo will automatically appear in Gmail email clients and any other supporting BIMI platform. (Currently supported by only Gmail).
4 Easy Steps to Achieve Email Engagement and Brand Trust
Buy your CMC
Pick a Mark Certificate, Choose the Term and Complete the Order process
Submit Logo and Proof
Provide your SVG Tiny PS logo plus evidence of at least a year of consistent use
Complete Validation
DigiCert verifies domain ownership, DMARC enforcement, and logo authenticity
Publish and Integrate
Add the CMC to your BIMI DNS record so your logo displays across inboxes
How Many CMCs Do you Need?
Every organization has its own distinct email and domain configurations. One Common Mark Certificate is sufficient for a single email domain and logo. One CMC is still sufficient for multiple email domains with a single logo. But regardless of email domains, if you have multiple logos, each one will require its own CMC.
The chart below outlines different organizational structures and their CMC requirements.
| Organization Structure | Number of Logos | Number of CMCs |
|---|---|---|
| Single domain | One | One |
| Single domain | Multiple | Multiple: One CMC per logo |
| Multiple domains | One | One |
| Multiple subdomains | One | One |
| Multiple domains | Multiple | Multiple: One CMC per logo |
| Multiple subdomains | Multiple | Multiple: One CMC per logo |
A few sample cases and the necessary number of CMCs will help us understand it.
- Multiple email domains such as (@domain1.com and @domain2.com) with a single logo: Just one CMC
- Multiple email subdomains with unique addresses such as (@mail.domain1.com, @shop.domain1.com) and a single logo: One CMC
- Multiple local subdomains under the same domain(@brand1.domain1.com, @brand2.domain1.com) each having its logo: One CMC per local subdomain
- Multiple emails with the same second-level domain, but with different suffixes for each email domain(@domain1.com, @domain1.net, @domain1.org) if the logo is the same across all domains, one CMC; if the logos are different for each domain, distinct CMCs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have Questions? We're here to help.
What are Common Mark Certificates?
With a CMC, one gets the logo next to the email in the inbox prior to it being opened by the recipient. This serves to confirm your status as DMARC and declare your organization’s authenticated identity. Know More about CMC.
How is a CMC different from a VMC?
A VMC requires a registered trademark, while a CMC only requires proof the logo has been in consistent use for at least a year. Both display your logo the same way in the inbox list. Read complete difference.
What is Google’s Recent BIMI Changes?
Google has announced that BIMI support will no longer require trademarks; a Common Mark Certificate will do if the logo is in use for one year. The compatibility of BIMIs increases from mobile to desktop with either a CMC or VMC; therefore, the blue checkmark from Google expands beyond webmail platforms into mobile ones (for VMC only).
Which Inbox Providers support CMC or VMC?
At this time, CMCs are supported by Google (Gmail) only, whereas VMCs can be recognized by such service providers as Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Apple, Fastmail, and Valimai. This difference stresses that VMCs are being more widely used among most email service providers and better serve the purpose of email branding and safety.
What are the Requirements for Obtaining a CMC?
To obtain a CMC, make your domain DMARC-compliant with either p=quarantine or p=reject, and consistently use an SVG logo for 12 months. Verify this with a Certificate Authority like DigiCert and then update your DNS records by linking the BIMI logo to your certificate so that email clients that support BIMI can display it.
Can I upgrade from a CMC to a VMC later?
Yes, many brands start with a CMC for immediate inbox branding, then move to a VMC once trademark registration is complete.
Do I still get the blue checkmark with a Common mark cert?
No, the checkmark that appears after opening an email is reserved for VMC holders. A CMC still displays your logo in the inbox list.
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