How do you put a $$$ on a brand?

Recession Doesn't Dent Total Value of Top 100 Brands @Advertising Age - News
"'Brands are emotional bonds created with consumers, and overall, brands have sustained value.'"

Sort of . . .My take is a that a Brand is a way to manage the risk of future delivery failure. It has much less to do with with "emotional bonds" as in "I love you" then "emotional bonds" as in "I trust you." Love is for people only. Trust is for everything and is based on past performance, not blablabla.