loader from loading.io

How Ron Johnson Built the Apple Store with Steve Jobs | Shop Different

Brainfluence

Release Date: 10/05/2026

How Ron Johnson Built the Apple Store with Steve Jobs | Shop Different show art How Ron Johnson Built the Apple Store with Steve Jobs | Shop Different

Brainfluence

Ron Johnson built the Apple Store from a blank sheet of paper, turning a company that couldn't get shelf space at Best Buy into the most profitable retailer on earth. Before that he helped make Target "Tar-zhay," and after it he had one of the most publicly dissected tenures in retail history as CEO of JCPenney. In this episode of Brainfluence, Roger Dooley talks with Ron about his new book, Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius (co-written with Zander Nethercutt), and the lessons behind each chapter of that career. Ron explains why good design costs no more than bad design, what...

info_outline
Cockroaches, Bridges, and Beer: The Weirdest Experiments in Behavioral Science show art Cockroaches, Bridges, and Beer: The Weirdest Experiments in Behavioral Science

Brainfluence

In this solo Brainfluence episode, Roger Dooley argues that the strangest-looking experiments in behavioral science are usually the most useful ones. He opens in 1969, when psychologist Robert Zajonc put 72 cockroaches through mazes in front of an audience of other cockroaches. That setup wasn't a joke. It was a precise piece of engineering: strip out self-consciousness, and you can finally see whether an audience by itself changes performance. The organizing idea comes from Dan Ariely, who describes a good experiment as a painting rather than a photograph. You don't reproduce every detail of...

info_outline
The Persuasion Engine: AI-Powered Neuromarketing and Behavioral Science show art The Persuasion Engine: AI-Powered Neuromarketing and Behavioral Science

Brainfluence

In this solo episode of Brainfluence, host Roger Dooley shares ideas from his new book, The Persuasion Engine (Wiley). The big shift he wants every marketer, business owner, and leader to notice isn't the customer—people still decide partly consciously, partly unconsciously, and mostly emotionally, just as they always have. What's changed are three things happening at once: the tools for understanding customers have gotten dramatically cheaper, decades of behavioral science now live inside AI models you can talk to, and AI has turned out to be surprisingly good at predicting how humans will...

info_outline
The Housefly Effect and Other Nudges That Change Behavior | Brainfluence show art The Housefly Effect and Other Nudges That Change Behavior | Brainfluence

Brainfluence

In this Brainfluence episode, host Roger Dooley sits down with behavioral scientist Eva van der Broek and advertising creative Tim den Heijer, co-authors of the intriguing new book, The Housefly Effect: The Nudge Psychology That Steers Our Everyday Behavior. Together, they dive into the quirky yet profound ways that tiny changes—think a simple housefly sticker in a urinal—can dramatically shift our decisions and habits. Join us as Eva and Tim unpack the stories and science behind these small interventions, from the power of naming an “effect,” to surprising marketing strategies, the...

info_outline
How To Make People Buy with Thomas Zoega Ramsoy - Brainfluence show art How To Make People Buy with Thomas Zoega Ramsoy - Brainfluence

Brainfluence

In this episode of Brainfluence, Roger Dooley is joined by Thomas Ramsoy, CEO and founder of Neurons, to discuss the evolving fields of neuromarketing and consumer neuroscience. Thomas Ramsoy shares insights from his book, "How to Make People Buy," which delves into the science behind what drives consumer behavior—emphasizing that genuine engagement, interest, and desire are far more effective than manipulation or trickery. He highlights how the understanding of unconscious decision-making, micro-decisions, and behavioral design is transforming the way marketers approach their craft. The...

info_outline
The Activator Advantage with Matt Dixon show art The Activator Advantage with Matt Dixon

Brainfluence

In this episode of Brainfluence, host Roger Dooley welcomes back Matt Dixon, founding partner of DCM Insights and co-author of the bestselling "The Challenger Sale." Dixon shares insights from his latest book, The Activator Advantage: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently, which is rooted in groundbreaking research on how top professionals win and grow client relationships in the increasingly competitive world of professional services. Dixon unpacks the five distinct profiles that partners in fields like law, accounting, and consulting tend to fall into, with a particular focus on the...

info_outline
Audacious with Mark Schaefer: How Humans Win in an AI World show art Audacious with Mark Schaefer: How Humans Win in an AI World

Brainfluence

Brainfluence host Roger Dooley sits down with marketing thought leader and bestselling author Mark Schaefer, who returns to the show with insights from his latest book, Audacious. Mark shares his unique approach to writing—how each of his books is inspired by real problems facing marketers—and discusses the existential challenges and opportunities posed by AI-driven marketing. Discover how both brands and individuals can stand out in an age of overwhelming content, why out-humaning AI is the key to survival, and what it means to be “audacious” in a world often dominated by the dull and...

info_outline
iMotions, Affectiva and Neuromarketing with Peter Hartzbech show art iMotions, Affectiva and Neuromarketing with Peter Hartzbech

Brainfluence

This episode features Peter Hartzbech of iMotions, who discusses the company's biosensor software platform for studying human behavior. Key points: iMotions provides a software platform that uses biosensors like eye tracking, galvanic skin response, EEG, voice analysis, and facial expression analysis to study human behavior in both academic and commercial research. The company serves diverse sectors including academia, consumer insights, and human factors, offering tools for understanding human-to-human and human-to-machine interactions. Imotions helps brands with early-stage R&D,...

info_outline
Cruise Industry Insider: Making Waves with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo show art Cruise Industry Insider: Making Waves with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo

Brainfluence

In the latest episode of the Brainfluence podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, then Vice Chairman of External Affairs at Royal Caribbean Group and former CEO of Celebrity Cruises. Since then, Lutoff-Perlo became Chairwoman of the Board of the Hornblower Group and serves on the Board of Directors for AutoNation, AHC Group, and Amerant Bank. Lisa's journey from a low-level salesperson to a top executive is inspiring. Her latest book is . We covered a wide range of topics including the resurgence of the cruise industry post-pandemic, the innovative use of technology...

info_outline
Marshall Goldsmith’s AI Legacy:  Free MarshallBot for Better Leadership Globally show art Marshall Goldsmith’s AI Legacy: Free MarshallBot for Better Leadership Globally

Brainfluence

Join world-renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith as he explores his groundbreaking AI venture - MarshallBot. After decades of coaching Fortune 500 CEOs and writing 40 bestselling books, Goldsmith is now democratizing his leadership wisdom through an AI that thinks and responds just like him. In this fascinating conversation, he shares insights about training his AI, discusses the challenges top executives face with "winning too much," and explains why he's giving away his lifetime of knowledge for free. Whether you're a leader, coach, or just curious about the future of AI-powered...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Ron Johnson built the Apple Store from a blank sheet of paper, turning a company that couldn't get shelf space at Best Buy into the most profitable retailer on earth. Before that he helped make Target "Tar-zhay," and after it he had one of the most publicly dissected tenures in retail history as CEO of JCPenney. In this episode of Brainfluence, Roger Dooley talks with Ron about his new book, Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius (co-written with Zander Nethercutt), and the lessons behind each chapter of that career.


Ron explains why good design costs no more than bad design, what architect Michael Graves taught him about creating instead of copying, and how half an hour with the Ritz-Carlton's head of HR changed the entire vision of the Apple Store, including the bar that "dispensed advice instead of alcohol." He also makes the case that stores still work in an online world, weighs the future of department stores, and gives his candid account of JCPenney's everyday-pricing experiment: a strategy he still defends, executed at a speed he now regrets.

Show notes page with audio, text, resources: https://www.rogerdooley.com/ron-johnson-shop-different/

Amazon - Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius: https://link.amazon/B0iLSKZTu
LinkedIn - Ron Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-johnson-589233b9/

Connect with Roger:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dooley/
https://www.facebook.com/roger.dooley
https://www.instagram.com/rogerdooley/

Roger's Stuff:
Website: https://www.rogerdooley.com
Neuromarketing: https://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/