Understanding Gmail’s Annotation System

Gmail has a system that detects whether an email is a mass email or not. This system affects how annotations, such as image carousels, are rendered in emails. According to Google’s documentation, annotations will only render in bulk emails, which means that sending a test email to oneself will not work. The email must be sent to a significant number of recipients, at least 100+, for the annotation to render.

The root cause of the issue is Gmail’s requirement for bulk emails to render annotations, which is in place to ensure user safety and prevent abuse of image-based features.

This requirement does not apply to Deal Annotation, only to Product Carousel. Additionally, the image URLs must be the exact same for each recipient, which means that personalization of image URLs is not possible when using annotations in Gmail.

Implementing the Solution

To create a promotional email image carousel in Gmail using SFMC, follow these steps:

AMPscript Code

%%[ 
SET @promotionCard_ImageURL = "https://image.marketing.id.me/lib/fe6215707c6201787715/m/1/125b38ff-3dfb-4754-adf7-8a622057b33e.png" 
SET @promotionCard_ImageURL2 = "https://image.marketing.id.me/lib/fe6215707c6201787715/m/1/5106ff9b-f293-4c6b-96cc-73762e47dea8.jpg" 
SET @promotionCard_Preheader = "Plush cash back deals for everyone!" 
SET @promotionCard_LogoURL = "https://image.marketing.id.me/lib/fe6215707c6201787715/m/1/600f61cf-60a7-4877-802e-7318c54bc886.png" 
]%% 
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Organization"> 
<meta itemprop="logo" content="%%=v(@promotionCard_LogoURL)=%%"/> 
</div> 
%%[IF @promotionCard_ImageURL != '' OR Substring(@promotionCard_ImageURL,1,4) == 'http' THEN]%% 
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PromotionCard"> 
<meta itemprop="image" content="%%=v(@promotionCard_ImageURL)=%%"/> 
<meta itemprop="url" content="www.facebook.com"/> 
</div> 
%%[ENDIF]%% 
%%[IF @promotionCard_ImageURL2 != '' OR Substring(@promotionCard_ImageURL2,1,4) == 'http' THEN]%% 
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PromotionCard"> 
<meta itemprop="image" content="%%=v(@promotionCard_ImageURL2)=%%"/> 
<meta itemprop="url" content="www.facebook.com"/> 
</div> 
%%[ENDIF]%% 
%%[IF @promotionCard_Preheader != '' THEN]%% 
<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/EmailMessage"> 
<meta itemprop="subjectLine" content="%%=v(@promotionCard_Preheader)=%%"/> 
</div> 
%%[ENDIF]%%

Ensure that the email is sent to a significant number of recipients, at least 100+, for the annotation to render. Also, make sure that the image URLs are the exact same for each recipient.

Best Practices and Considerations

When creating promotional email campaigns with image carousels in Gmail, keep the following best practices and considerations in mind:

Heads up: Always test your email campaigns in a bulk email setting to ensure that annotations render correctly.

Checklist for Creating Promotional Email Image Carousels in Gmail

• Use the correct AMPscript code to populate image URLs and metadata
• Ensure that the email is sent to a significant number of recipients, at least 100+
• Use the exact same image URLs for each recipient
• Test your email campaign in a bulk email setting
• Consider using Deal Annotation instead of Product Carousel, as it has fewer restrictions
• Keep in mind Gmail’s privacy and safety regulations when creating email campaigns

What is the minimum number of recipients required for annotations to render in Gmail?

At least 100+ recipients are required for annotations to render in Gmail.

Can I use personalization in image URLs when using annotations in Gmail?

No, the image URLs must be the exact same for each recipient when using annotations in Gmail.

Does the requirement for bulk emails apply to Deal Annotation?

No, the requirement for bulk emails only applies to Product Carousel, not Deal Annotation.

How can I test my email campaign with annotations in Gmail?

You can test your email campaign with annotations in Gmail by sending it to a significant number of recipients, at least 100+.

What are the implications of Gmail’s privacy and safety regulations on email campaigns?

Gmail’s privacy and safety regulations may affect the rendering of annotations in email campaigns, and marketers should be aware of these regulations when creating campaigns.