Dr. Mara Einstein
@drmaraeinstein.bsky.social
Cults • MLMs • higher ed • religion • deceptive marketing.
8X author inc. “Hoodwinked: How marketers use the same tactics as cults.” Netflix doc: “Buy Now!”
Ex- NBC, Ex-MTV, advertising refugee. CUNY professor.
SXSW 2025
Drmaraeinstein.com
8X author inc. “Hoodwinked: How marketers use the same tactics as cults.” Netflix doc: “Buy Now!”
Ex- NBC, Ex-MTV, advertising refugee. CUNY professor.
SXSW 2025
Drmaraeinstein.com
There are some podcast you do because you have to, and some podcasts you dream about doing.
Had an absolute blast gabbing with Jane Marie about all things marketing on The Dream.
Have a listen.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Had an absolute blast gabbing with Jane Marie about all things marketing on The Dream.
Have a listen.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Hoodwinkers Abound
Podcast Episode · The Dream · 11/21/2025 · 27m
podcasts.apple.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
There are some podcast you do because you have to, and some podcasts you dream about doing.
Had an absolute blast gabbing with Jane Marie about all things marketing on The Dream.
Have a listen.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Had an absolute blast gabbing with Jane Marie about all things marketing on The Dream.
Have a listen.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Will the economic blackout work? I don’t have a crystal ball, but a combination of factors suggest that corporations aren’t going to have a very good fourth quarter. Read more in my blog.
www.drmaraeinstein.com/blog/economi...
www.drmaraeinstein.com/blog/economi...
Economic Blackout — Dr. Mara Einstein
Can a mass economic blackout be successful?
www.drmaraeinstein.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Will the economic blackout work? I don’t have a crystal ball, but a combination of factors suggest that corporations aren’t going to have a very good fourth quarter. Read more in my blog.
www.drmaraeinstein.com/blog/economi...
www.drmaraeinstein.com/blog/economi...
So many Wicked collabs when people are worried about their jobs, rising health insurance costs & putting food on the table.
Boycotts have been growing, & the big one is set to hit Thanksgiving weekend.
Some of the topics I write about in this month's newsletter.
open.substack.com/pub/drmaraei...
Boycotts have been growing, & the big one is set to hit Thanksgiving weekend.
Some of the topics I write about in this month's newsletter.
open.substack.com/pub/drmaraei...
Wicked, Boycotts, and Cuomo
Don't forget to check out my podcast!
open.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:41 AM
So many Wicked collabs when people are worried about their jobs, rising health insurance costs & putting food on the table.
Boycotts have been growing, & the big one is set to hit Thanksgiving weekend.
Some of the topics I write about in this month's newsletter.
open.substack.com/pub/drmaraei...
Boycotts have been growing, & the big one is set to hit Thanksgiving weekend.
Some of the topics I write about in this month's newsletter.
open.substack.com/pub/drmaraei...
In the first episode of Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein, I chat with Yale religion and history scholar Katie Lofton—a leading voice on religion and consumer culture—to unpack how our deepest systems of belief shape what we buy, who we follow, and how we build community online.
October 28, 2025 at 10:37 PM
In the first episode of Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein, I chat with Yale religion and history scholar Katie Lofton—a leading voice on religion and consumer culture—to unpack how our deepest systems of belief shape what we buy, who we follow, and how we build community online.
I’ve got a podcast!!!
Here’s a 5-minute intro to get you started….especially if you’re into cults and understanding how deceptive marketing tactics get you to buy.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Here’s a 5-minute intro to get you started….especially if you’re into cults and understanding how deceptive marketing tactics get you to buy.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein
Self-Improvement Podcast · Updated Biweekly · What if your favorite brand—or your favorite influencer—used the same playbook as a cult?
Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein unpacks how modern marketin...
podcasts.apple.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM
I’ve got a podcast!!!
Here’s a 5-minute intro to get you started….especially if you’re into cults and understanding how deceptive marketing tactics get you to buy.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Here’s a 5-minute intro to get you started….especially if you’re into cults and understanding how deceptive marketing tactics get you to buy.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
My new podcast, Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein launches October 30th.
We’re talking scams—consumer, religious, and political—with academics, ex-cult members, marketing practitioners, and more.
Check my website (drmaraeinstein.com) for updates.
We’re talking scams—consumer, religious, and political—with academics, ex-cult members, marketing practitioners, and more.
Check my website (drmaraeinstein.com) for updates.
October 14, 2025 at 8:45 AM
My new podcast, Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein launches October 30th.
We’re talking scams—consumer, religious, and political—with academics, ex-cult members, marketing practitioners, and more.
Check my website (drmaraeinstein.com) for updates.
We’re talking scams—consumer, religious, and political—with academics, ex-cult members, marketing practitioners, and more.
Check my website (drmaraeinstein.com) for updates.
In today’s Substack I explain the relationship among ABC, Nexstar, and the FCC. When you read this, you will understand why Nexstar caved.
substack.com/@drmaraeinst...
substack.com/@drmaraeinst...
Kimmel/Nexstar/The FCC, Lush Cosmetics does it again...and ICE, not so great
To Understand Kimmel, You Have to Understand Broadcast TV
substack.com
September 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
In today’s Substack I explain the relationship among ABC, Nexstar, and the FCC. When you read this, you will understand why Nexstar caved.
substack.com/@drmaraeinst...
substack.com/@drmaraeinst...
Next Tuesday, September 30th, I will be speaking live at NYU. Click the link to sign up.
Hope to see you there!
steinhardt.nyu.edu/events/every...
Hope to see you there!
steinhardt.nyu.edu/events/every...
Is Everything a Cult?
Mara Einstein explains how social media and digital technologies have made us vulnerable to cult tactics, and why marketers are driven to implement these approaches in order to grab our attention and ...
steinhardt.nyu.edu
September 26, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Next Tuesday, September 30th, I will be speaking live at NYU. Click the link to sign up.
Hope to see you there!
steinhardt.nyu.edu/events/every...
Hope to see you there!
steinhardt.nyu.edu/events/every...
Here’s a link to a conversation I recently had with Ellen Donnelly. I was glad we were able to get into the valorizing of the gig economy and hype of digital entrepreneurship, in addition to cults, MLMs, and coaching scams.
ellen-fromtheask.beehiiv.com/p/drmaraeins...
ellen-fromtheask.beehiiv.com/p/drmaraeins...
"If they promise you $10k months: run, don't walk, the other way"
The Cult of Entrepreneurship: Not Everyone Should Join It. A Q&A with Dr Mara Einstein on | The Interview, Sept '25
ellen-fromtheask.beehiiv.com
September 24, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Here’s a link to a conversation I recently had with Ellen Donnelly. I was glad we were able to get into the valorizing of the gig economy and hype of digital entrepreneurship, in addition to cults, MLMs, and coaching scams.
ellen-fromtheask.beehiiv.com/p/drmaraeins...
ellen-fromtheask.beehiiv.com/p/drmaraeins...
Some are suggesting the real reason Jimmy Kimmel got canceled is that Nexstar needs approval from the FCC to buy Tegna’s TV stations. This deal would enable Nexstar to own stations that cover 80% of the US. Current regulation is that no company can own stations covering more than 39% of the US.
September 18, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Some are suggesting the real reason Jimmy Kimmel got canceled is that Nexstar needs approval from the FCC to buy Tegna’s TV stations. This deal would enable Nexstar to own stations that cover 80% of the US. Current regulation is that no company can own stations covering more than 39% of the US.
This week, I’m on IndoctriNATION.
Cult recruitment and retention tactics, facilitated by digital media, are why the country is where it is now. I implore you to listen, and learn—not only how we got here—but how we could get out.
Cult recruitment and retention tactics, facilitated by digital media, are why the country is where it is now. I implore you to listen, and learn—not only how we got here—but how we could get out.
September 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
This week, I’m on IndoctriNATION.
Cult recruitment and retention tactics, facilitated by digital media, are why the country is where it is now. I implore you to listen, and learn—not only how we got here—but how we could get out.
Cult recruitment and retention tactics, facilitated by digital media, are why the country is where it is now. I implore you to listen, and learn—not only how we got here—but how we could get out.
Ice recruitment advertising is, well, not the best. I talked about that with Johana Bhuiyan for The Guardian
It was an interesting interview, because I had to balance between criticizing what DHS was doing wrong without telling them how they could do it better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
It was an interesting interview, because I had to balance between criticizing what DHS was doing wrong without telling them how they could do it better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
From Uncle Sam to social media memes: inside homeland security’s push to swell Ice ranks
Homeland security lowers hiring standards and floods social media with patriotic, often xenophobic, recruitment posts
www.theguardian.com
September 3, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Ice recruitment advertising is, well, not the best. I talked about that with Johana Bhuiyan for The Guardian
It was an interesting interview, because I had to balance between criticizing what DHS was doing wrong without telling them how they could do it better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
It was an interesting interview, because I had to balance between criticizing what DHS was doing wrong without telling them how they could do it better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
This link is to a talk I gave at Michigan State University about greenwashing. The talk is contextualized within a broader discussion about the rise of cause marketing and the purpose washing that followed.
muse.jhu.edu/article/965618
muse.jhu.edu/article/965618
Project MUSE - Sustainable Consumption Is an Oxymoron
muse.jhu.edu
August 18, 2025 at 9:52 PM
This link is to a talk I gave at Michigan State University about greenwashing. The talk is contextualized within a broader discussion about the rise of cause marketing and the purpose washing that followed.
muse.jhu.edu/article/965618
muse.jhu.edu/article/965618
Reposted by Dr. Mara Einstein
In new polling for NYC mayor, Mamdani is leading.
Mamdani 50%
Cuomo 22%
Sliwa (R) 13%
Adams 7%
This race is not just about millennials and Gen Z. These numbers also mean that Jews are looking at him as a viable candidate.
The MSM needs to stop acting like Mamdani is the also-ran.
Mamdani 50%
Cuomo 22%
Sliwa (R) 13%
Adams 7%
This race is not just about millennials and Gen Z. These numbers also mean that Jews are looking at him as a viable candidate.
The MSM needs to stop acting like Mamdani is the also-ran.
July 30, 2025 at 9:24 PM
In new polling for NYC mayor, Mamdani is leading.
Mamdani 50%
Cuomo 22%
Sliwa (R) 13%
Adams 7%
This race is not just about millennials and Gen Z. These numbers also mean that Jews are looking at him as a viable candidate.
The MSM needs to stop acting like Mamdani is the also-ran.
Mamdani 50%
Cuomo 22%
Sliwa (R) 13%
Adams 7%
This race is not just about millennials and Gen Z. These numbers also mean that Jews are looking at him as a viable candidate.
The MSM needs to stop acting like Mamdani is the also-ran.
Some people are saying the American Eagle ad is simply an homage to Calvin Klein and Brooke Shields in the 80s.
Here’s the ad:
Here’s the ad:
July 28, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Some people are saying the American Eagle ad is simply an homage to Calvin Klein and Brooke Shields in the 80s.
Here’s the ad:
Here’s the ad:
Living in New York feels like being in a split screen. On one side, we see the hope and joy of Mamdani and the other we see the pain and terror of Trump and demise of democracy.
youtu.be/yPbtARzHHHw?si
youtu.be/yPbtARzHHHw?si
Wu-Tang, JB, and Zohran bring the ruckus
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
youtu.be
July 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Living in New York feels like being in a split screen. On one side, we see the hope and joy of Mamdani and the other we see the pain and terror of Trump and demise of democracy.
youtu.be/yPbtARzHHHw?si
youtu.be/yPbtARzHHHw?si
“The fascination with cults fundamentally rests in the idea that people believe that they can’t be drawn into one,” says Dr. Mara Einstein, author of Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults.
tinyurl.com/59a3afz3
tinyurl.com/59a3afz3
The Cult Content Boom: What’s Behind Our Obsession?
Why can’t we look away from stories about cults? The real story may not be about those who fall prey, but about realizing that we’re all vulnerable to manipulation.
tinyurl.com
July 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
“The fascination with cults fundamentally rests in the idea that people believe that they can’t be drawn into one,” says Dr. Mara Einstein, author of Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults.
tinyurl.com/59a3afz3
tinyurl.com/59a3afz3
Reporters are asking for comment on the ethics of filming public concerts.
That they are even asking this question means they’ve lost the plot.
That they are even asking this question means they’ve lost the plot.
July 21, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reporters are asking for comment on the ethics of filming public concerts.
That they are even asking this question means they’ve lost the plot.
That they are even asking this question means they’ve lost the plot.
This isn’t an ad. It is AI art and a brilliant condemnation of fast fashion.
What looks like a skirt is garbage, moving from billard to landfill in a single moment.
The artist is Emanuele Morelli.
What looks like a skirt is garbage, moving from billard to landfill in a single moment.
The artist is Emanuele Morelli.
July 21, 2025 at 11:10 AM
This isn’t an ad. It is AI art and a brilliant condemnation of fast fashion.
What looks like a skirt is garbage, moving from billard to landfill in a single moment.
The artist is Emanuele Morelli.
What looks like a skirt is garbage, moving from billard to landfill in a single moment.
The artist is Emanuele Morelli.
People are losing the bigger picture when it comes to Stephen Colbert being fired. Colbert will be fine. That is not the point.
CBS is free over-the-air broadcast television. Those airwaves are owned by the American people.
The person looking to buy Paramount is David Ellis, son of Larry Ellis…
CBS is free over-the-air broadcast television. Those airwaves are owned by the American people.
The person looking to buy Paramount is David Ellis, son of Larry Ellis…
July 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
People are losing the bigger picture when it comes to Stephen Colbert being fired. Colbert will be fine. That is not the point.
CBS is free over-the-air broadcast television. Those airwaves are owned by the American people.
The person looking to buy Paramount is David Ellis, son of Larry Ellis…
CBS is free over-the-air broadcast television. Those airwaves are owned by the American people.
The person looking to buy Paramount is David Ellis, son of Larry Ellis…
“Pertinent” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.
July 18, 2025 at 5:28 PM
“Pertinent” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.
Reposted by Dr. Mara Einstein
