The document discusses how the relationship between companies and consumers has changed over time from personal relationships to brand relationships due to industrialization and mass communication. This has led to a lack of trust between people and brands, with 80% of US consumers distrusting the government and companies and 90% distrusting advertisers. It suggests that companies can begin rebuilding trust by humanizing interactions and trade, such as by creating an online presence and voice to show they have purposes beyond profits and trading data to enable emotional connections with customers.