Hoodwinked

How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults

De: Mara Einstein PhD, Douglas Rushkoff - foreword

Narrado por: Mara Einstein

From viral leggings to must-have apps, Dr. Mara Einstein exposes the hidden parallels between cult manipulation and modern marketing strategies in this eye-opening investigation. Drawing from her unique background as both a former MTV marketing executive and a respected media studies professor, she reveals how companies weaponize psychology to transform casual customers into devoted followers.

This groundbreaking book uncovers how social media platforms use anxiety-inducing algorithms to keep you trapped in a purchase-panic cycle; the secret playbook marketers use to create "brand religions" around everyday products; why even the most rational consumers fall prey to scarcity marketing and manufactured FOMO; and practical strategies to break free from manipulative digital marketing tactics.

With compelling real-world examples and insights from industry insiders, Hoodwinked equips you with the knowledge to recognize and resist these sophisticated manipulation techniques. Dr. Einstein's expertise has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, making her the perfect guide through the maze of modern marketing manipulation.

©2025 Mara Einstein (P)2025 Ascent Audio

Really interesting content, very unpolished narration

Really liked the premise of the book and did read the whole thing, but this was clearly a self-narrated book by someone who doesn't narrate professionally. Lots of awkward pauses and mispronunciations. To give her credit, everything was clear and even volume, but it was distracting. Would definitely recommend the book in other formats, though.

A Masterclass in How We Are All Get Played

Hoodwinked is one of those rare books that changes how you see the world. Dr. Einstein makes you realize just how often you’re being influenced without even knowing it — and gives you the tools to push back. I thought I made rational decisions, but this book showed me where I was getting played. Smart, sharp, and unforgettable — a must-listen.

Good content but poor audio

I am not sure they used a professional sound engineer and an experienced director. Background breaths and clicks is very distracting.

There Are More Cults than You Think Out There Playing Games With Out Minds (Highly Recommend)

This was definitely an interesting read. It will help give you a perspective on how it’s more than just the cults with a capital C that we all know are cults that are using cult tactics to control us and the way we move forward in our day to day lives. I was especially surprised on the chapter that informed us on how colleges are using cult like tactics to make themselves look better on paper while harming student applying to those institutions. I wasn’t surprised by the MLM chapters and how a lot of brands have shifted their approach to make it seem less like a pyramid scheme while still very much being just that.
The part where they talked about influencers and social media was a very eye opening part of the book. Being someone who was an online influencer at one point and was approached by brands to market their products to my audience I could definitely see how that could fall under cult like behaviors especially if the content creators only cared about making money to the point where they would push products out even if they weren’t great. Being someone who’s been a part of that world I would say there are a lot of influencers who do care about the type of companies they align themselves with and the brands they promote and this book didn’t really give those people any credit. I think it came off a little biased in that way which made me question some of the other sections with very strong arguments in fields I don’t have any personal experiences in.
The last chapter was very informative. It talked about ways to help people out of the cults they have been tricked into following and being a part of. I do see MAGA as a cult and the information shared in that chapter was very helpful on giving me new tools and insights that I can use when I’m having conversations with people who are very deep in the Trump lead cult.
Overall a very good book. I think the chapters in the middle were a little repetitive when it came to the MLM stuff so I’m glad I downloaded this one on audible so I could speed listen to those chapters instead of having to slowly flip through the pages. I don’t know if I would have made it to the end had I been reading the physical copy of this book.

It's okay, but goes off course

The first part of the book was the strongest. There was a lot of great information about the similarities between cults and marketing and how they both appeal to people who are suggestible. The author made some great points about how these groups appeal to people who are in a vulnerable state so that they can appeal to their emotions, and the emotions that get the most reactions are those that revolve around fear, anxiety or insecurity. Marketing is the process of creating a demand for a product or service, and that is how a lot of advertisers create demand. Most major brands have three things in common which are a logo, tagline and a story.

Where the book fell short for me was the author spending a lot of time discussing the historical narrative behind the growth of social media and MLMs. While it's necessary to provide some context, there was a lot of information dedicated to providing long backstories. The book could have been half its length without compromising the quality of the message.