The GNU universe is wide and deep, and although each program is developed independently by different people with different backgrounds, the name still stands for something special.
For me, it's a quality attribute, among others; I'm less hesitant to install and try GNU applications than other, more free-floating ones.
And I have never been really disappointed.
Furthermore, the software philosophical aspect should not be underestimated. The more you realize what software can do and what powerful influence it has on our society in many ways, the value of a GNU Public License has increased for me.
Branding has never been the Free Software Foundation's strong suit.
(Even the FSF's name is unfortunate, IMHO. It's not an opportunity to tell the person you actually mean "free as in freedom", like some imagine. It's just starting people off with the wrong idea of what your mission is. And the result sure looks like most people went with the wrong idea, for whatever reason.)
Furthermore, the software philosophical aspect should not be underestimated. The more you realize what software can do and what powerful influence it has on our society in many ways, the value of a GNU Public License has increased for me.