A new kind of cult

In this solo episode, Dr. Mara Einstein follows the trail from Jonestown to Apple, to TikTok influencers, and MLMs, uncovering how cult psychology has quietly become a blueprint for modern marketing. What used to live on remote compounds now lives in your feed, your shopping cart, and the brands you identify with.

Dr. Mara breaks down how vulnerable people get targeted, love-bombed, upsold, and turned into unpaid evangelists—and why she believes we’re not in an attention economy anymore, but an anxiety economy. Most importantly, she shows you how to start spotting the pattern to reclaim your self-agency.

Transcript: https://www.drmaraeinstein.com/s/Ep3_Transcript_HoodwinkedWithDrMaraEinstein.pdf

In this episode:

• How the word “cult” went from derogatory description to being widely applied to religion, brands, and politics
• Why brands now sell identity (“I am Mac”) instead of products
• How cult recruitment steps parallel the marketing funnel, from targeting vulnerable prospects to conversion to loyalty
• How stealth ads, influencers, and algorithms blur the line between content and commerce
• Dr. Mara explains the “cult marketing continuum”—a theoretical framework for understanding the scope of cult tactics in marketing and politics
• Why most people eventually get out, and what that means for reclaiming your agency

Mentioned in this episode:

• Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults – Dr. Mara Einstein
• The Wrong Way Home – Arthur Dyckman
• The Power of Cult Branding – Matthew W. Ragas & Bolivar J. Bueno
• The Culting of Brands – Douglas Atkin
• The Cult of Trump – Steven Hassan
• Cultish – Amanda Montell 
• Uncultured – Daniella Mestyanek Young 
• Comprehending Cults – Lorne Dawson

Documentaries

• The Vow – HBO docuseries on NXIVM
• LuLaRich – Prime docuseries on LuLaRoe
• WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn – Hulu documentary on Adam Neumann & WeWork
• Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion – HBO docuseries on Brandy Melville
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Netflix dramatized series on Belle Gibson, wellness influencer
• 60 Minutes segment featuring Frances Haugen, meta whistleblower

Scholars, Thinkers, and Public Figures

• Arthur Dyckman – psychiatrist, author of The Wrong Way Home
• Lorne Dawson – sociologist, author of Comprehending Cults
• Muniz & O’Guinn – marketing scholars on brand communities
• Janja Lalich – sociologist and cult expert
• Frances Haugen – meta whistleblower
• Cory Doctorow – writer who coined “enshittification”

About the host

Dr. Mara Einstein spent a decade in corporate marketing working for some of the world’s biggest brands before turning her focus to exposing the industry’s inner workings. Now a tenured professor of media studies at CUNY, she’s dedicated to helping people understand how marketing shapes what we buy, what we believe, and even who we think we are. With a background spanning business, media, and the arts, Dr. Einstein brings sharp insight and humor to the systems that sell us our identities—and the power we have to push back.

Pick up Dr. Einstein’s book Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults on Bookshop.org (and beyond): https://bookshop.org/a/116018/9781493086153

Website: https://www.drmaraeinstein.com 

Books: https://www.drmaraeinstein.com/writing 

Instagram, TikTok, Threads: @drmaraeinstein

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Drmaraeinstein 

 

Credits

Production: Multitude

Lead Producer & Editor: Bren Frederick

Music: Marc Langer

Cover art: Cayla Einstein 

Clips used

• Frances Haugen clip via 60 Minutes
• 1950s cigarette ad via Marlboro
• Tiktok video via @d