Proven functionality, trustworthiness and security; a rewarding, satisfying user experience. These are some of the important reasons why we choose to use our favourite digital tools day in and day out.

Yet while we can most readily associate those digital brands with their company logo, our deeper, overall perception of them is actually the result of a more nebulous, hard-to-define property.

I’m talking about what we might describe as the brand’s all-important core personality; the thing that actually defines the quality of our emotional connection with the brand.

Much of this connection happens subliminally, without our being aware of it, as the result of our exposure to a complex combination of logo, slogan, buzzphrases, packaging, graphics, typestyle, tone of voice – the works.

If we’re to make a favourable and lasting emotional connection with a brand’s core personality, each of these elements should begin as part of a meticulously thought-through branding strategy.

After all, these are the very ingredients that will evolve over time to become that brand’s personality traits, formed through a constant process of improvement and refinement.

The question is, will they ultimately grow into a genuine charisma – the factor that makes users seek out that digital brand over any other and make it the go-to choice?

That all hangs on how we approach the branding strategy; more precisely, it depends on establishing a close and interactive partnership with our client. Understanding and appreciating his aspirations and goals. Discovering his core values, and relating to his business ethos.

Only by developing a true grasp of those vital elements can you begin to encapsulate them in a great branding strategy that imbues your client’s digital products with that much-sought-after charisma.