Talk Eye Co., Ltd.
- BIMI
Are “Undeliverable” Emails Causing Missed Business Opportunities? Implementing Corporate Logo Email (BIMI) to Visualize Reliability
Ryota Sano, Representative Director and CEO, Talk Eye Co., Ltd.
Whether Emails are “Delivered” is the Lifeblood of Business
――How did you handle the anti-spoofing settings (DMARC) and the enforcement of its policies?
Our company conducts market research, interviews, and other services, which involve frequent email distribution.
Whether an email is “delivered or not” is a matter of life and death for us.
The trigger for our DMARC configuration was the update to Google’s “Email Sender Guidelines”.
We engaged an external vendor to assist with DMARC setup and policy enforcement, completing the process in approximately one year.
Enforcing DMARC Policies Carefully Over Time
――Please tell us about the process of raising your DMARC policy levels.
We initially started with “none” (monitoring) and monitored the status for about a year.
Using a dashboard provided by our external vendor, we closely scrutinized the passage of emails.
Once we confirmed there were no issues, we gradually strengthened the policy from “quarantine” to “reject” to meet the requirements for implementing BIMI (emails with corporate logos).
―What prompted you to consider implementing BIMI?
We felt a strong need to ensure our emails stood out and were read reliably, both as a countermeasure against spoofing for our customers and to improve email delivery and open rates.
Our company conducts market and questionnaire surveys, often at the request of foreign-affiliated companies.
These clients would occasionally ask why we were not utilizing Verified Mark Certificates (VMC) or BIMI.
It was during this time that an external consultant introduced us to BIMI.
We believed that displaying a brand logo in the email would give recipients a sense of security and encourage them to open the message.
The Deciding Factors: “Price” and “Speed of Response”
――What were the deciding factors in choosing GMO Brand Security?
We had considered BIMI previously, but at the time, the annual cost exceeded 200,000 JPY, so we postponed the implementation.
It was then that we saw a news release from GMO Brand Security.
Their pricing met our needs—specifically my thought that “I want to implement it if it falls below 200,000 JPY”—and their response after our inquiry was extremely rapid.
Technical Barriers are Worth Overcoming
――What parts did you find to be hurdles leading up to the BIMI implementation?
Since we began with the trademark registration application, the process took considerable time.
Trademark registration usually takes six months to over a year, making it the first major hurdle for implementing BIMI.
While we were able to complete the procedures ourselves, I feel it will be the first significant barrier for many companies.
Additionally, creating the SVG logo file and meeting the technical requirements required specialized knowledge, which was confusing at times until we became accustomed to it.
A Message to Companies Considering Implementation
Implementing BIMI requires a suitable preparation period for trademark registration and technical configurations.
However, by overcoming these challenges, you can visualize the reliability of your emails and enhance your brand value.
I recommend first consulting with experts and proceeding step-by-step with plenty of time to spare.
