Difference Between Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) Vs Common Mark Certificate (CMC)

What is a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)?

A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) is a digital credential that enables companies to showcase their registered logo within the emails they send so that it is visible in customers’ inboxes.

This is part of the ‘Brand Indicators for Message Identification’ (BIMI) effort to strengthen email security and promote brands.

With a VMC, organizations make their communications appear to be more authentic, thus facilitating recipients in distinguishing genuine communication from their brand and spam messages.

For a company to be granted a VMC, it must fulfill two major conditions:

Legally Registered Trademark — The company’s brand logo must be a registered mark or trademark in at least one jurisdiction.

Strict DMARC Policy — The company must have a strict DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) policy for the organization to protect from phishing and email spoofing attacks.

Apart from this, Gmail adds a bonus to VMC certified users by giving them a blue checkmark which serves as a trust signal. Enhanced brand trust is automatically issued if the email addressee has checked the box confirming the authenticity of the email.

Example of VMC

What is a Common Mark Certificate (CMC)?

A Common Mark Certificate (CMC) is a digital certificate allowing entities to show their brand logo next to the sender field in customers’ inboxes without registering a trademark.

Like the Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), CMC is supported by the BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) framework and offers better accessibility due to removing the trademark requirement.

To qualify for a CMC, the company must have a fully enforced DMARC policy and show evidence that its logo has been used for at least one year.

This condition makes CMCs suitable for companies willing to increase their email security and visibility of their brand while avoiding the formal trademark registration process.

Organizations deploying a CMC can enhance brand exposure and create reputation and trust among customers by displaying their logos in email.

While CMCs do not convey the blue verification check-mark feature that VMCs have, they nevertheless deliver very good protection against phishing attacks and work to outsmart spoofing attempts.

The visual brand presence in inboxes promotes improved engagement with marketing emails. It enhances brand reliability, further making CMCs a good solution for brands looking to support email security and marketing impact.

Example of CMC

Difference between VMC and CMC in Table form

Conclusion

Give a boost to your email security and your brand name’s visibility by using DigiCert’s Mark Certificates, which include Verified Mark Certificates (VMC) and Common Mark Certificates (CMC). Create trust, better resist phishing, and make your emails recognizable with a verified brand logo.