Mara Einstein

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Mara Einstein (born 1959) is an American media scholar, marketing critic, and author who has been described as a "powerhouse marketing critic" and "meta-synthesizer" for her interdisciplinary approach to critiquing marketing's impact on society. She is a tenured professor and former chair of media studies at Queens College, City University of New York, where she founded and directs the Advertising major. Her research focuses on the intersection of marketing, media, and religion, as well as the ethical implications of advertising practices in digital environments.

After working for a decade in corporate marketing for major companies, Einstein transitioned to academia with the goal of exposing consumerism's dark side, persuading companies to do better, and giving people tools to increase their power in the marketplace.

Early life and education

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Einstein earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from Boston University, an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a PhD in Media Ecology from New York University, where she studied with Neil Postman and Todd Gitlin. She is distantly related to Albert Einstein.

Career

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Prior to her academic career, Einstein held executive positions at NBC and MTV Networks and worked at major advertising agencies on accounts such as Miller Lite, Dole Foods, and Atari. At Queens College, she served as department chair and developed the Advertising major, shaping the curriculum to address contemporary issues in media and marketing.

Einstein has written extensively for major publications including Advertising Age, Salon, Harvard Business Review, Newsday, and Fast Company. She has given talks internationally, from New York to San Francisco and from Brazil to the United Kingdom, and is a featured speaker at major conferences including SXSW 2025 and Brain Bar 2025.

Publications

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Einstein is the author or co-editor of numerous influential books on advertising, media, and religion, including:

Books

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  • Media Diversity: Economics, Ownership, and the FCC. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. ISBN 9780805842418.
  • Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age. Routledge, 2008. ISBN 9780415409773. This widely cited work has received over 870 citations and analyzes how religious groups use branding and marketing strategies in consumer-driven society.
  • Compassion, Inc.: How Corporate America Blurs the Line Between What We Buy, Who We Are, and Those We Help. University of California Press, 2012. ISBN 9780520266520.
  • Black Ops Advertising: Native Ads, Content Marketing, and the Covert World of the Digital Sell. OR Books, 2016. ISBN 9781944869019. The book received critical acclaim, with The New York Times calling it "well-researched and accomplished"[1] and The Guardian describing Einstein's work as "thoroughly researched, elegantly explained and often alarming."[2]
  • Advertising: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2017. ISBN 9780190625894.
  • Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults. Prometheus Books, 2025. ISBN 9781493086153. Features a foreword by Douglas Rushkoff.

Edited and co-edited works

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  • Market: WSQ: Fall/Winter 2010 (Women's Studies Quarterly, 38). Co-edited with Joe Rollins, 2011. A special issue examining how women are positioned as producers and consumers in the marketplace.
  • Religion and Reality TV: Faith in Late Capitalism. Co-edited with Katherine Madden and Diane Winston. Routledge, 2018. ISBN 9781138681279.
  • Selling the Sacred: From Crossfit to Qanon. Co-edited with Sarah McFarland Taylor. Routledge, 2024. ISBN 9781032378428.

Contributions to edited volumes

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Einstein was a chapter contributor to The Routledge Companion to Advertising and Promotional Culture, edited by Matthew P. McAllister and Emily West. Routledge, 2013. ISBN 9780415888011.

Media appearances and commentary

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Einstein is regularly quoted in national media outlets including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and The Wall Street Journal. Her expertise has been featured in The Atlantic,[3] and other major publications.[4][5][6] She has appeared on television and radio programs including HuffPost Live, The Brian Lehrer Show, NPR's Marketplace, and podcasts such as The Majority Report with Sam Seder. Einstein has also appeared in documentaries including Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy (Netflix, 2024), Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu (Discovery+, 2025), and American Jesus (2013).

Podcast

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In 2025, Einstein launched the podcast Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein, which explores how contemporary marketing strategies mirror cult tactics to manipulate consumer behavior. The show features interviews with academics, former cult members, marketing insiders, and social critics. The podcast builds upon themes explored in her 2025 book, Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults.[7][8]

Einstein has also appeared as a guest on podcasts including Team Human and A Little Bit Culty to discuss the intersections of cult psychology and digital marketing culture.[9][10]

Academic impact and recognition

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Einstein's research has been cited over 2,100 times according to Google Scholar, establishing her as a foundational voice in the fields of advertising, media studies, and consumer culture. Her work has been influential in both academic and policy contexts, with the Federal Communications Commission referencing her research on media diversity.[11]

Einstein is an Emmy-voting member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), a prominent and selective professional organization in the television and media industry. She has been recognized by the Women's Media Center[12] and profiled by outlets including Religion Dispatches[13] and The Daily Dot.[14] Her interdisciplinary approach integrates research from social sciences, business, policy, and media to critique marketing's impact on society.

References

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  1. ^ Wu, Tim (November 25, 2016). "Good at Skipping Ads? No, You're Not". New York Times.
  2. ^ Poole, Steven (January 19, 2017). "Black Ops Advertising by Mara Einstein review – stealth marketing is everywhere". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Pinsker, Joe (November 1, 2018). "Children Are Getting Great Practice at Being Sold to All the Time". The Atlantic.
  4. ^ "'Uncle Drew' shows that audiences will pay to watch branded content". Los Angeles Times. July 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Semuels, Alana (October 13, 2007). "From Israel, a wine for Christians". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Timberlake, Cotten (August 3, 2012). "Compassionate Consumerism Draws Copycats". Bloomberg.
  7. ^ "Hoodwinked Podcast". Dr. Mara Einstein Official Website. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  9. ^ "309 – Dr. Mara Einstein". Team Human. 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Hoodwinked by the Algorithm: Dr. Mara Einstein on Cult Tactics in Marketing (Part 1)". A Little Bit Culty. 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  11. ^ Mara Einstein. "Program Diversity and the Program Selection Process on Broadcast Network Television," FCC Working Paper, 2002" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Mara Einstein - SheSource Expert - Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com.
  13. ^ Einstein, Mara (May 16, 2010). "Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion". religiondispatches.org.
  14. ^ Hernandez, Nina (March 12, 2025). "'Lovebombing': Expert says brands aren't just marketing. They're priming you to be in a cult". Daily Dot.
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