When I think of those times I thought I had a “great idea” but never acted on it, I can’t help but wonder .  .  . what if (?)

Should an example of this phenomenon occur in a marketing context, perhaps you should make a point of acting upon your hunch. I call this urge, “pulling the trigger.” If you don’t, you never will know.

“Execution is the missing link between aspiration and results.”

– Lawrence A. Bossidy, retired Chairman/CEO, Honeywell International

There’s no better way to dissect the how-to’s of branding than to check-out the companies people know and trust. Entrepreneur teamed with a think tank that focuses on brand relationships, on a consumer survey that explored the reasons some brands manage to stay on top.

1. Get personal: Amazon

The online retailer of just about everything ran away with the list, posting the highest scores not just in overall brand trust but in every individual trust value.

2. Sell happiness: Coca-Cola

Ice-cold Sunshine. The Pause That Refreshes. Life Tastes Good. Since its inception, the promise of the world’s largest beverage-maker has been to delight consumers.

3. Live up to your promise: FedEx

With a straightforward passion for the task at hand, FedEx has created a strong corporate identity. Not surprisingly, the company received its strongest ratings in ability, specifically for being able to achieve what it promises and for the efficiency of its operations.

4. Keep it cool (and fun): Apple

What other company has the public and the press waiting breathlessly for each new product release? The bottom line is whatever that new Apple product is, consumers trust that it will be smart and sleek and that it will improve the way they communicate, work or spend their leisure time. What’s more, they’ll enjoy the experience of making the purchase.

5. Design an experience: Target

It’s easy to forget that Target is a discount store. With its sleek, stylish ad campaigns and collaborations with high-end designers who create limited-edition merchandise that sends fashionistas into a frenzy, Target’s public face often belies its mass-merchant status.

6. Stay consistent: Ford

In an era when the only thing that seems certain is change, Ford’s consistent branding has established the company as a beacon of reliability.

7. Can-do attitude: Nike

On its website, Nike declares its mission to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world,” adding, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

8. Forge connections: Starbucks

After suffering a slump a few years back, the world’s leading specialty coffee retailer has perked up its business and its brand by getting back to its original promise of bringing people together.

9. Serve up the quirky: Southwest Airlines

This low-cost carrier has consistently set its own route in the airline industry, creating a distinct personality through everything from open passenger seating to flight attendants who sing the safety demonstrations.

10. Focus on the customer: Nordstrom

When mythic stories circulate about your company’s awesome customer service, you know you’re doing something right. That’s the hallmark of this upscale department store, which is rumored to have once graciously accepted the return of a set of tires, even though the store has never sold tires.

About the survey: The Values Institute, which conducted the study, identified five values that influence trust in a brand: ability (company performance); concern (care for consumers, employees and community); connection (sharing consumers’ values); consistency (dependability of products/services); and sincerity (openness and honesty).

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Marketing communication trends for 2015 seem to indicate less data and more emotions will rule this year.

Research indicates data will continue to play an important role in decision–making.

However, it has been found that decision-makers are increasingly looking to their gut instead of the data, say several creative leaders.

One has said, “B–to–B marketing must become more humanly relevant,” and we at Marketing Partners agree.

As the digital tsunami of information continues to grow larger, business decision–makers are increasingly becoming numb. That’s why messages that leverage emotion – – that make them feel something – – will only become more vital.

USG’s “It’s Your World. Build It” campaign is a great example. Building materials and emotion aren’t something you would link immediately, but the campaign captures a powerful sentiment about the human need to build.

For some time, we have been urging many of our clients to address customer needs with simplicity, impact and, yes, in emotional rather than purely detailed and data–driven terms.

We must remember that our prospects are – first and foremost – humans, not just demographic groups and numbers. As such, more often than not they respond with their “gut” – not just their brain.

Yes, facts, figures, case histories and the like will always have their place. It’s just that to not complement them with brief and creative concepts that speak to their hearts as well as their heads would be a mistake; a costly mistake that far too many marketers continue to make.

Planning marketing communications around your target audiences’ respective DNA just makes good sense. To do otherwise is to put expediency and conven