With each new launch the hysteria around the ‘Johnny Cupcakes’ brand continues to conquer the globe. The reaction goes from 10 block queues as anxious fans await for the shop to open to Cupcake tattoos, yes, permanent ones.
In this awe-inducing presentation Johnny will educate you on how you too can create a wave of loyalty and obsession around your products, your business and within your teams through the power of social media & experiential branding.
We talk about ‘word of mouth’ advertising as the holy grail of brand expansion, but countless businesses forget the word of mouth generated internally and by their team and externally by their customer base.
There is no one that understands the mindsets of the customer than Johnny Cupcakes.
In this dynamic presentation he will inspire leaders to create a culture of ‘brand obsessives’, team members who will shout about the company values and engage with the brand on a deep level; resulting in loyal teams and bowled- over customers.
So many ideas, so little resources! Some of the biggest business success stories were the product of dollar coffees and a loving parent’s garage – including Johnny Cupcakes.
So if you have the drive then this presentation will show you and your audience how to get behind the wheel and steer your organization into new territories and gently away from old ways!
With utter conviction and complete passion Johnny will talk leaders, entrepreneurs, marketers, and sales teams through the lessons he has learned on his journey to global domination – and arm them with easy to apply strategies for making their dreams a reality.
Johnny shares dozens of ingredients to success, including the power of details, collaboration, and the art of rolling with the punches while learning to adapt.
Johnny Earle, better known as Johnny Cupcakes, is the visionary entrepreneur behind the globally celebrated tee-shirt brand that transformed retail through creativity, community and experience. Launching his company at just 19, Johnny entered one of the most competitive product categories and built a brand so distinct that customers routinely camped out for releases, lined up around the block and even tattooed his logo on their bodies. His approach to experiential branding helped Johnny Cupcakes become one of the world’s fastest-growing independent businesses, earning him recognition as America’s #1 Young Entrepreneur by BusinessWeek and Top Innovator in Retail by The Boston Globe, along with feature stories in INC, MTV, NPR, Forbes, WIRED and Newsweek.
Johnny’s strategy is simple but powerful: create a brand experience so unique, playful and immersive that customers feel like part of a community, not just consumers. Through imaginative packaging, surprise-and-delight moments, themed pop-up events and nostalgia-driven collaborations, he has redefined what loyalty looks like for modern audiences. His high-profile partnerships include The Simpsons, Power Rangers and Nickelodeon, and his store openings have drawn global attention.
If you dream of inspiring cult-like brand loyalty and especially the kind that involves mile-long queues and even permanent tattoo then Johnny Cupcakes is for you.
The founder of the world-renowned tee-shirt brand Johnny Cupcakes, Johnny’s known for helping other people create blueprints for building brand loyalty, creating memorable experiences, and inspiring innovation.
With global store openings, thousands of customers with his logo tattooed on themselves, people who camp out for his products, and high-profile collaborations with giants such as The Simpsons, Power Rangers, and Nickelodeon, Johnny was named America’s #1 Young Entrepreneur by Business Week, Top Innovator in Retail by The Boston Globe, and featured in INC magazine as the CEO of one of the world’s fastest growing independent businesses.
Despite being in one of the most difficult product categories to stand-out in, and a founder of a brand when he was just 19 years old, Johnny’s solution to his business challenges was to create such a unique brand experience that his customers would loyally line-up around the block, time and time again, just to be able to sport his logo on their clothing.
Since then, through his talks and creative consulting, Johnny Cupcakes has shared his strategies with clients that include Apple, L’Oreal, Disney, IBM, Audi, Harvard University, Wieden+Kennedy, Marriott, and P&G.
Also a TEDx speaker, Johnny has been featured in media such as MTV, NPR, Forbes, WIRED, Newsweek, and as a case study in several branding and business books.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Twitter
In this 4-minute keynote, Johnny Cupcakes reveals how creative brand experiences, surprise-and-delight moments and human-to-human connection build lifelong customer loyalty.
This 4:20 keynote excerpt features Johnny Cupcakes sharing the experiential branding philosophy that turned his bakery-themed tee-shirt company into a global cult brand. He opens with the core idea that although industries differ, everyone is in the people business and the creative business. His success began by reinventing the ordinary retail environment: a frosting-scented store, a giant oven door as the entrance, refrigerators filled with tees and packaging pulled from a smoking oven. These unexpected sensory details sparked organic word-of-mouth and created a retail experience customers wanted to share.
Johnny emphasizes that customers have endless options, so brands must earn attention through originality and emotional resonance. His mantra “Do more of what makes you happy” appears inside his products and acts as a reminder that authentic creativity fuels innovation. He encourages audiences to shift from B2B or B2C mindsets to H2H—human to human—because people want to support people, not just products. Sharing the stories behind your brand, even awkward childhood moments or personal quirks, strengthens connection and builds trust.
He explains that he doesn’t sell merchandise; he sells memories, and the merchandise is simply the byproduct of a curated experience. Surprise and delight—giving customers more than expected—creates loyalty. He illustrates this through limited-edition ice-cream-container packaging, summer pop-up shops housed in rented ice cream trucks, and playful designs presented in oversized push-up pops. These activations transformed adults into excited, childlike fans chasing the truck without knowing its exact location.
In this 5-minute demo reel, Johnny Cupcakes showcases the creativity, storytelling and customer-obsessed innovation that built his cult-followed brand and fuels his high-impact keynote experiences.
This 5:00 demo reel features Johnny Earle—widely known as Johnny Cupcakes—sharing the humor, ingenuity and unconventional branding strategies that made his bakery-themed tee-shirt company a global phenomenon. He opens with playful commentary about “making millions off baked goods,” immediately revealing the twist: he sells T-shirts packaged and presented like pastries. He highlights the cult-like enthusiasm surrounding the brand, including customers camping outside his stores for weeks and thousands tattooing the logo on their bodies.
Johnny reflects on his entrepreneurial beginnings, noting he had started 16 businesses before age 16. His love of magic taught him early that he could make people happy and turn creativity into a livelihood. He then details the immersive nature of his retail experience: frosting scents created with hidden vanilla air fresheners, T-shirts displayed in refrigerators and ovens, and purchases packaged in pastry boxes. These imaginative touches consistently surprise visitors and prompt behavior he values most—sharing stories.
He underscores a central message: everything has been done before, so differentiation comes from how creatively you do it. Packaging, he argues, is a powerful miniature billboard that influences behavior and reinforces brand affinity, citing examples from Apple, Nike and Build-A-Bear. Johnny emphasizes that everyone has great ideas, but fear of failure prevents progress; his own success came from failing fast, learning quickly and reinvesting energy into new creations.
In this 4-minute keynote, Johnny Cupcakes reveals how creative brand experiences, surprise-and-delight moments and human-to-human connection build lifelong customer loyalty.
This 4:20 keynote excerpt features Johnny Cupcakes sharing the experiential branding philosophy that turned his bakery-themed tee-shirt company into a global cult brand. He opens with the core idea that although industries differ, everyone is in the people business and the creative business. His success began by reinventing the ordinary retail environment: a frosting-scented store, a giant oven door as the entrance, refrigerators filled with tees and packaging pulled from a smoking oven. These unexpected sensory details sparked organic word-of-mouth and created a retail experience customers wanted to share.
Johnny emphasizes that customers have endless options, so brands must earn attention through originality and emotional resonance. His mantra “Do more of what makes you happy” appears inside his products and acts as a reminder that authentic creativity fuels innovation. He encourages audiences to shift from B2B or B2C mindsets to H2H—human to human—because people want to support people, not just products. Sharing the stories behind your brand, even awkward childhood moments or personal quirks, strengthens connection and builds trust.
He explains that he doesn’t sell merchandise; he sells memories, and the merchandise is simply the byproduct of a curated experience. Surprise and delight—giving customers more than expected—creates loyalty. He illustrates this through limited-edition ice-cream-container packaging, summer pop-up shops housed in rented ice cream trucks, and playful designs presented in oversized push-up pops. These activations transformed adults into excited, childlike fans chasing the truck without knowing its exact location.
In this 5-minute demo reel, Johnny Cupcakes showcases the creativity, storytelling and customer-obsessed innovation that built his cult-followed brand and fuels his high-impact keynote experiences.
This 5:00 demo reel features Johnny Earle—widely known as Johnny Cupcakes—sharing the humor, ingenuity and unconventional branding strategies that made his bakery-themed tee-shirt company a global phenomenon. He opens with playful commentary about “making millions off baked goods,” immediately revealing the twist: he sells T-shirts packaged and presented like pastries. He highlights the cult-like enthusiasm surrounding the brand, including customers camping outside his stores for weeks and thousands tattooing the logo on their bodies.
Johnny reflects on his entrepreneurial beginnings, noting he had started 16 businesses before age 16. His love of magic taught him early that he could make people happy and turn creativity into a livelihood. He then details the immersive nature of his retail experience: frosting scents created with hidden vanilla air fresheners, T-shirts displayed in refrigerators and ovens, and purchases packaged in pastry boxes. These imaginative touches consistently surprise visitors and prompt behavior he values most—sharing stories.
He underscores a central message: everything has been done before, so differentiation comes from how creatively you do it. Packaging, he argues, is a powerful miniature billboard that influences behavior and reinforces brand affinity, citing examples from Apple, Nike and Build-A-Bear. Johnny emphasizes that everyone has great ideas, but fear of failure prevents progress; his own success came from failing fast, learning quickly and reinvesting energy into new creations.
Speaker fees can vary depending on factors such as expertise, demand, and event specifics. While some speakers may charge a flat fee for their services, others may have hourly rates. It’s best to discuss fee structures directly with the speaker or their representative to understand the pricing model.
Keynote speeches typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, with the duration determined by the speaker’s expertise, the event’s agenda, and audience preferences. Keynote speeches often include a combination of inspirational stories, practical insights, and actionable advice tailored to the event’s theme or objectives.
The scale of the event and audience size can indeed impact a speaker’s fee. Larger events with a broader reach or higher attendance may command higher fees due to increased exposure and demand. Conversely, smaller events or niche audiences may offer opportunities for more flexible pricing arrangements.
Travel expenses such as transportation, accommodation, and meals are typically negotiated separately from the speaker’s fee. These costs vary depending on the speaker’s location, travel distance, and event duration. It’s important to clarify travel arrangements and expenses during the booking process to avoid misunderstandings.
Many speakers require a deposit to secure a booking, with the remaining balance due closer to the event date. Deposits are often non-refundable and serve as a commitment from both parties. It’s advisable to discuss deposit requirements and payment terms with the speaker or their representative when finalizing the booking.
Ready to find the perfect speaker for your event? Use our advanced search feature or contact us to get started today!
In order to view the below you must be logged in.
Suneel Gupta is one of the world’s foremost thinkers on digital strategy, transformation, and the future of business. As the Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Chair of the General Management Program, he has shaped the strategic mindset of global executives, advising organizations on how to thrive amid accelerating […]
Kudzi Chikumbu, a dynamic force in the realms of lifestyle influence and digital creativity. As the Global Head of Creator Marketing at TikTok, Kudzi is at the forefront of innovation, shaping the future of social media and empowering creators worldwide. With a wealth of expertise, a passion for storytelling, and a commitment to driving positive […]
Jamie Hess brings a fresh, engaging perspective to keynote speaking, combining her background as a top PR pro with her dynamic personal storytelling. Known for her gratitude framework, Gratitudeology™, Jamie empowers audiences to shift mindsets, boost performance, and deepen their sense of purpose. She also dives into branding with her talk The Magnetic Rebrand, helping […]
David Meerman Scott is a globally recognized expert in sales and marketing, renowned for his transformative insights and dynamic speaking engagements. With a career spanning over three decades, Scott has established himself as a thought leader, author, and consultant, influencing the way businesses approach marketing and sales. He is the author of numerous best-selling books, […]
Dr. Zoe Chance is a writer, teacher, researcher, and climate philanthropist obsessed with the topic of interpersonal influence. She earned her doctorate from Harvard and now teaches the most popular course at Yale School of Management, which is the basis for her international bestseller, INFLUENCE IS YOUR SUPERPOWER. Her framework for behavior change is the […]
Adrian Gostick is an expert in corporate culture, employee relations, and human resources management. With a prolific track record of successful publications, Adrian is renowned globally as a foremost thought leader in his field. His books, including “The Best Team Wins,” “All In,” and “The Carrot Principle” (a New York Times regular bestseller), illuminate the […]
Tom Goodwin is a dynamic and sought-after speaker who is at the forefront of innovation in marketing and artificial intelligence. With a career spanning over two decades, Tom has earned a reputation as a thought leader and visionary, constantly challenging the status quo and inspiring audiences around the world. His insights into the digital landscape […]
Abigail Posner is a multi-talented professional, combining creativity, intellect, and innovation into her work. With a rich background in various fields and a passion for exploring the intersection of technology and creativity, she has become a recognized figure at Google, consistently pushing the boundaries of brand marketing. Posner’s journey began with a solid academic foundation. […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.
All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.
Our Mission:
© All rights reserved 2025. Designed using Voxel
