Emotional connection with consumers is key to igniting your brand as a trend worth following. A brand must be bold and support the zeitgeist to create trend potential.

Trends shape societal opinion and offer insights on where we're headed as a global community. Importantly for marketers and communicators, trends drive waves of consumer purchasing decisions. But what makes a brand trendy and resilient?

Apple is an iconic brand that seems to blunt all threats, setting the stage for a surge in desire for style and sleek design in everyday life. Apple continues to lead the global brand value rankings and has maintained its reputation as an innovator despite the entry of other competitive products and a string of recent issues. Apple breezed through the recent controversy around its tax strategy, which resulted in a Senate committee hearing. Even fierce Senators, amidst their rancor, were heaping praise: "We love the iPhone and the iPad" - "You managed to change the world."

So what are the passions and touchpoints that establish brands as trends and enable them to stay in the public sweet spot? There are a few critical points to keep in mind:

Read more from the source: Forbes - On Marketing