Where do brands come from?  Robert Lutz gets it — over at FastLane he’s explained what the Chevrolet brand means to him.  Notice that he’s not using abstract language to talk about brand; instead, he talks about actual cars and their qualities, because it’s product that creates brand meaning and value, not the other way around.  For Lutz, brand is also about passion:

… I do love the passion with which the Camaro faithful express their
undying commitment to the object of their affections… At the end of the day, that’s
what our business is all about – inspiring passion among the faithful.
That’s what has allowed me to spend my life’s work in an industry I’m
passionate about. We should all be so lucky.

Creating and sustaining a brand that people really want to make a part of their lives is about connecting functionality and emotion and meaning.  Your products and the services you build around them are what bring it all to life.  Passionate people are the means to that end.