# Grant A. Johnson

> Grant A. Johnson is the founder and CEO of Responsory, the Milwaukee-area marketing agency he started as Johnson Direct in 1999. A copywriter, speaker and author, he created its Direct Branding method to combine brand development with measurable response. His public interests also include Civil War history organizations, where he has served in leadership roles and contributed communications expertise.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Responsory, a Johnson Direct company
- **Organizations:** Responsory, a Johnson Direct company, Civil War Round Table of Milwaukee, C. K. Pier Badger Camp 1, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Interfaith Older Adult Programs, Inc. (former board member)
- **Known for:** Created Responsory’s Direct Branding method., Founded an agency that reached its 27th anniversary in 2026., Authored Fairytale Marketing, Tiny Book. BIG Results, and a collection of measurable marketing ideas.

## Career timeline

- **1988** — Began practicing measurable marketing, according to his own account.
- **1999** — Founded Johnson Direct in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
- **2000** — Named Wisconsin Direct Marketer of the Year, according to the agency’s anniversary history.
- **2007** — Received a Milwaukee BizTimes Entrepreneur of the Year Award, according to the agency’s anniversary history.
- **2013** — Began board service with the Civil War Round Table of Milwaukee, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2015** — Responsory, formerly Johnson Direct, was named a Chief Marketer B2B Top Shop.
- **2024** — Marked 25 years of the agency and published an account of its social-media audit.
- **2026** — Explained Responsory’s policy of declining RFPs.

## Achievements

- Created Responsory’s Direct Branding method.
- Founded an agency that reached its 27th anniversary in 2026.
- Authored Fairytale Marketing, Tiny Book. BIG Results, and a collection of measurable marketing ideas.
- Led Responsory, named a 2015 Chief Marketer B2B Top Shop.
- Contributed to a Civil War history organization’s online event in 2021 and to a website refresh acknowledged in May 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Published Field Tips: Net Promoter Score Next Steps, addressing how teams act on customer sentiment research.
- **2026-07** — Published Field Tips: Performance Marketing Needs Brand Building.
- **2026-05** — Published an argument for owned email lists and websites rather than sole dependence on social platforms.
- **2026-04** — Published guidance on retaining human perspective in AI-assisted marketing.
- **2026-02** — Published Why We Don’t Respond to RFPs.

## Links

- Website: https://responsory.com/team/grant-johnson/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantajohnson
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/grantajohnson

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/grant-a-johnson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23