42 INTERVIEW One of the first public messages British retailer Marks & Spencer issued following its customer data breach in April 2025 warned customers to be cautious of emails from the company. A single cyberattack turned the communication channel the company relied on to drive customer loyalty into a risk, reminding businesses that brand trust is no longer built on messaging alone, but also on security. “Email remains one of the most effective brand touchpoints,” says Steve Hall, senior product marketing manager at GMO GlobalSign. “But it is also where trust is most easily eroded. When a customer receives what appears to be a legitimate message from your organisation, they assess your credibility. If that email turns out to be fraudulent, the damage falls squarely on the brand, not the attacker.” This shifts marketers into a far more active role in protecting brand credibility. “Marketing teams cannot afford to treat security as somebody else’s problem,” says Hall. “To protect brand equity, they need to work closer than ever with security teams. They must ensure every outbound email – whether a newsletter, offer or transactional update – reinforces trust.” This is where modern authentication measures help. Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) are becoming an essential tool for brand protection by authenticating a brand’s identity and allowing an official logo and blue verification tick to appear in supported inboxes. Before a customer reads a single word, they see the email has been validated as trustworthy. “VMCs turn email verification into a visible brand asset, something customers can trust at a glance,” says Hall. “They lead to higher open and click-through rates, instantly recognised legitimacy and greater protection against brand impersonation.” Security protocols such as Sender Policy Framework, DomainKeys Identified Mail and Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance, have long existed to prevent domain spoofing. But in recent years, adoption has accelerated largely due to enforcement across Microsoft’s ecosystem. “Sending mail to a Microsoft inbox without these controls now risks non-delivery,” explains Hall. “For businesses, this elevates authentication from a technical checkbox to a strategic necessity. Without it, brand messages may land in spam or fail to arrive at all. Even with verification in place, brands must maintain good digital hygiene. That includes checking for expired security certificates, updating dormant tools and ensuring marketing teams understand the basics of phishing and social engineering. You wouldn’t send a spokesperson into the media without training and the same logic must apply to digital communication.” GMO GlobalSign’s Steve Hall explains how and why marketing teams should turn their attention to email security Security is now a branding issue BY ALICE CHAMBERS “ You wouldn’t send a spokesperson into the media without training and the same logic must apply to digital communication”
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