As someone who writes on trust, I consider reliability only one part. Others include credibility (which you do addresss), and intimacy and self-orientation (which you don’t). These latter two are part of the almost-entirely personal component of trust. Since brands are by nature about impersonal things (companies, products), there’s a disconnect.

On the other hand–if you look at things like integrity in the management of branded companies, you’ve got your link. if you really trust a company to do the right thing, then their product-based brand attributes are greatly strengthened.

More on this idea at http://trustedadvisor.com/trustmatters/355/Is-Brand-Trust-An-Oxymoron . Thanks for raising the subject.