Have you ever wondered about the psychology of successful brands? Branding wizard Craig Arthur explains.

Craig explains how he got there, from being riveted by the book 'You Don't Have to Be Born Brilliant' to birthing a unique concept and refining it over time. We discuss how emotional connections and psychological triggers are the backbone of successful branding. We discuss the dynamics of family-oriented partnerships and the importance of a robust company culture.

(And we take a brief detour down memory lane to recall our mutual experiences of Wizard Academy.)

Craig shares his insights into the reasons loyalty and aligned incentives are crucial to nurturing strong relationships with clients. He delves into the challenges traditional marketing agencies pose to business owners and introduce the concept of The Uncovery, a powerful tool with the potential to reveal the essence of what it takes to make a business the leader in a category of 1.

We navigate the differences between cults and brands, shedding light on the impact of character flaws on success. We discuss the character diamond, a tool for creating a believable personality for a business. Finally, we touch upon how emotional connections can be both a magnet and a manipulator.

Our conversation winds up with us sharing our favorite fictional heroes and their inspirational qualities.

Connect with Craig Arthur via email.

At Cult Your Brand, we're obsessive about loyalty - how to get it, how to keep it, what to do so you never lose it.

Ready to transform your slightly-better-than-average brand into a lovable, personable powerhouse brand? Let's talk.

Contact information for Jack Heald & Cult Your Brand

• Cult Your Brand Website
• Jack Heald on Twitter
• Wizard of Ads Website
• Jack Heald on LinkedIn

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

You've been told you must build trust and credibility to grow your business, right? And that the key to building your business is to bombard potential customers with irresistible offers.

But you've done that. Turns out, they resist your offers, trust you less and you feel like a jerk.

There's got to be a better way, right?

Matthew Burns has that solution: create trust before the sale.

Matthew explains how to do that, as well as:

• How to turn your weaknesses into a marketing advantage
• Why authenticity is essential to both business growth and customer retention
• The true impact of keeping promises and the true cost of using ambiguous language

Matthew Burns has mastered the art of creating trust before the sale. He's a partner in Wizard of Ads, an international agency renowned for their innovative marketing. His work centers around making businesses known and loved long before a sale is made.

He's got a track record for delivering exceptional results, and an unconventional approach to building trust.

Key moments:
00:07:58 - The Role of Negatives in Trust
00:15:52 - Using Social Media to Highlight Vulnerabilities
00:17:53 - Sharing Screw-Ups Builds Trust
00:25:25 - Trusting First to Gain Trust
00:38:00 - Becoming the Trusted Choice
00:45:21 - Selling the Negative
00:50:35 - Pricing Transparency
00:59:24 - Vulnerability and Authenticity
01:06:18 - Never Worry About Making Mistakes

Resources for this episode
Contact at: matthewburns@wizardofads.com
Book discussed: The Moral Molecule
Matthew's LinkedIn Profile
Matthew's Instagram Profile

At Cult Your Brand, we're obsessive about loyalty - how to get it, how to keep it, what to do so you never lose it.

Ready to transform your slightly-better-than-average brand into a lovable, personable powerhouse brand? Let's talk.

Contact information for Jack Heald & Cult Your Brand

• Cult Your Brand Website
• Jack Heald on Twitter
• Wizard of Ads Website
• Jack Heald on LinkedIn

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

Matt Armstrong was miserable. He weighed over 400 pounds. Everything he did required more energy than he had. His world shrank to the distances he could walk - which wasn't much.

Then one day, he made one tiny decision. And it changed literally everything in his life. Losing over 200 pounds in just over 2 years is only part of his remarkable story of transformation.

Guest: Matt Armstrong
Twitter: @theaccountabil4
Website: The Diet Fix

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

The judge gave her the maximum prison sentence "because she knew right from wrong." That's when Michelle Cirocco began her personal transformation. From the bottom in prison, Michelle has risen to the C-Suite in one of the most innovative - and healthy - corporate cultures in America.

How did she do it? And how can we transform our own personal, corporate and civic cultures into what we really want them to be?

Well, we could start by listening to people like Michelle Cirocco.

Host: Jack Heald
Guest: Michelle Cirocco
Twitter: @mcirocco
Company Website: Televerde.com
Non-Profit Foundation: Arouet Foundation

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

An wide-ranging conversation between hosts Jack Heald and Matthew Thornton covering the two hemispheres of our brains, how it affects our thinking, flow state and meditation.

Show References
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Personality and Its Transformation by Jordan B. Peterson
Bob Roth interviews Jerry Seinfeld: Success Without Stress

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

When AJ Patton heard a pitch for a solar energy project, he realized he could solve two huge social problems at once: affordable housing and renewable energy. He quit his job as an investment banker to fulfill his vision. His new company, 548 Capital, combines solar energy with low-income housing in one of the neediest areas in America: the south side of Chicago. And he is succeeding where others don't even dare to try.

We talk with AJ about how is able to win the support of communities that are traditionally hostile to development work. His story is one worth hearing.

Host: Jack Heald & Matthew Thornton
Guest: AJ Patton
Website: 548 Capital

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

Katherine Halpin had a lifetime of failure and disappointment. A look in the mirror revealed the source of her problems. So she swallowed hard and got busy changing her attitudes and adopting new habits. Her story of personal transformation will inspire anyone - in personal or business life - who struggles to "get over the hump."

Hosts: Jack Heald & Matthew Thornton
Guest: Katherine Halpin
Mentioned in the show:
Planner Pads
Alignment for Success
Respond Not React Playbook

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.

Sean Zimmerman created a better kind of real estate office. It's cleverly disguised as a coffee shop, restaurant and co-working space. His ideas on how a workspace reflects a company's values led him to create a productive, social, and collaborative workspace that serves not just his company, but makers and creators throughout the Valley of the Sun.

Hosts: Jack Heald & Matthew Thornton
Guest: Sean Zimmerman
Mentioned in the podcast:
Launch Real Estate
Schmooze Workspace & Coffee

• Learn how to Cult Your Brand.
• Who are these Wizard of Ads people and what are they all about?
• Explore the magic which is the Wizard Academy.