Brown may be the new black — but brands are the new cults. Amy talks to CUNY professor, author, and ex-marketing executive Dr. Mara Einstein about how brands exploit cult-like marketing tactics to get us to buy, particularly during events like Black Friday. They discuss the real reason brands pushed Christmas shopping before Halloween (!) this year; how brands get us to buy in a world where we're increasingly disconnected from each other; why the "attention economy" is really the "anxiety economy"; and more. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro to Dr. Mara Einstein and her research 00:52 - How brands are like cults 04:43 - How the luxury industry employs scarcity marketing to get people to buy things like Birkin bags 06:59 - The power of scarcity marketing 09:52 - How the economic blackout might affect retailers on Black Friday in 2025 12:45 - How brands like Lululemon and Cos harvest your data 16:54 - Why the "attention economy" is really the "anxiety economy" 19:47 - How brands "rage bait" 28:32 - How fashion marketing got people to buy Lucky Strike cigarettes in 1934 35:03 - Dr. Einstein weighs in on the de-influencing trend Links & resources: • Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter — • Get Dr. Mara Einstein's book: ⁠Hoodwinked⁠ How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults • Listen to Dr. Einstein's podcast, Hoodwinked in Apple: Or Spotify Credits: Produced by Amy Odell. Edited by Amy Odell and Jonathan Voytko. #FashionPodcast #BackRow #fashion #blackfriday #shopping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices