The Human Psychology and Behavior Behind Building a Lasting Brand with Matt Johnson

What is the human psychology and behavior behind building a lasting brand?

In this episode, Dr. Matt Johnson joins me to discuss the intricacies of building a brand that is based in and influenced by human psychology and neuroscience. We completely nerded out on how to keep up with market trends while building a recognizable brand that has longevity.

Matt Johnson, PhD is a speaker, researcher, and writer specializing in the application of psychology and neuroscience to marketing. Following his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Princeton University, his work has explored the science behind brand loyalty, experiential marketing, and consumer decision making. He is the author of the best-selling consumer psychology book Blindsight: The (mostly) hidden ways marketing reshapes our brains (BenBella, 2020), and Branding That Means Business (Economist Books, Fall 2022).

As a contributor to major news outlets including Psychology Today, Forbes, and BBC, he regularly provides expert opinion and thought leadership on a range of topics related to the human side of business. Matt is also passionate about helping brands use neuroscience to better understand, serve, and interact with their consumers.

He is the founder of neuroscienceof.com, through which he consults with a wide array of organizations, including as an expert-in-residence for Nike. Matt currently resides in Boston, MA, where he is a Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Hult International Business School, and an instructor at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education. Matt grew up in The Bay Area, California, and has lived and worked in San Diego, New Jersey, Berlin and Shanghai.

We talk about:

[2:55] Matt’s background in cognitive neuroscience
[5:00] Choosing to focus on the trends that don’t change
[6:55] The process and research behind writing his books
[10:35] How to stand for something while trying to learn and engage with the market
[14:00] How a brand can be forced to change the way they communicate and tips to navigate this
[20:00] How small businesses brand differently than big businesses
[27:35] The trend of becoming a micro influencer and its impact on brand
[34:50] Matt’s strategy for learning something new
[36:05] One seed of knowledge Matt believes every entrepreneur should know