iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I’m doing something a little different this week on the podcast. Until now, we’ve been talking about cults & religion & what that has to do with marketing. This week we talk with marketing practitioners about how they think about brand cults vs. brand movements. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

podcasts.apple.com

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...

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Wonder how Bari Weiss feels about Skydance using Saudi money in the hostile takeover bid for Warner Brothers Discovery. Any journalists left to ask?

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

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...

podcasts.apple.com

Hoodwinkers Abound

Podcast Episode · The Dream · 11/21/2025 · 27m

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

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...

drmaraeinstein.com

Economic Blackout — Dr. Mara Einstein

Can a mass economic blackout be successful?

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

1) not a fan of Mr. Galloway (see photo), and 2) this will be on a level he has not imagined. If 7-12 million people (numbers who protested) don’t shop during the holiday—and truth is, lots of families simply can’t afford Xmas—it’s going to be a bleak holiday for businesses.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

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...

open.substack.com

Wicked, Boycotts, and Cuomo

Don't forget to check out my podcast!

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

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

Kimmel/Nexstar/The FCC, Lush Cosmetics does it again...and ICE, not so great

To Understand Kimmel, You Have to Understand Broadcast TV

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

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

"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

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Awesome! Thank you. Please do let me know what you think.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

This would make them bigger than the broadcast networks. This is hair-on-fire kind of scary. This is why I still teach about the broadcast industry. Because of stories like this.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

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...

theguardian.com

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

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

This should be of interest to anyone in the green space as well as professors teaching marketing or sustainability. This article/video is available in perpetuity, thanks to Project MUSE.

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

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

Project MUSE - Sustainable Consumption Is an Oxymoron

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Especially since their stock is up.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

No one. And the stock is up, but it doesn’t mean they’ve saved the brand. Sales were down 5% last year.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

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:

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

And he does it proactively. His takedowns of the NY Post are chef’s kiss.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

This is why Mamdani is ahead in NYC. He’s in it to fight, he’s got a plan, and he’s got the communications chops to engage and inform people.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

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

Wu-Tang, JB, and Zohran bring the ruckus

YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

C. It’s the cleanest one for a small thumbnail. And more people are likely to be drawn in by the word fake than by ad.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

“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

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Thanks do much for saying so. I’m going to be back next month to dig in some more!

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

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.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Thanks so much. I’m going to be back on in a few weeks. The segment went way too quickly. Check out my website, too, if you’re looking for deeper dives into deceptive marketing.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

This is consolidation of the media that Ben Bagdikian couldn’t even begin to imagine. Not only consolidation, but right wing conservatism on public, not private, airwaves.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

…founder of Oracle. There’s been a lot of talk of Oracle buying TikTok. Today, Reuters reported that David Rhodes will probably head up the news division at CVS and he will be “advised” by Bari Weiss.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

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…

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

“Pertinent” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Here’s my Substack explaining why withholding the Epstein files is so important to the MAGA cult. I also explain why this—beyond everything else—is the reason we are seeing cracks in the cult foundation. open.substack.com/pub/drmaraei...

open.substack.com

MAGA believes the Epstein list is about the kids. It's not. It's about the grift.

Does this mean the cult is over? Well...not quite.

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Dr. Mara Einstein @drmaraeinstein.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Nothing. His base has stood behind him when he was accused of raping E. Jean Carol, found guilty of 34 felonies, and the Access Hollywood clip. We know he likes young girls. Releasing that list isn’t telling us anything new. It’s someone(s) else that doesn’t want this to come out.

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