"I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things." — Ecclesiastes 7:25
Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui.press me
Ph.D. · Assistant Professor of Marketing
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E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration
Coastal Carolina University
About Me
I'm a researcher, a professional foodie, and a certified travel adventurer. I am forever curious — and really proud of that.
My work sits at the intersection of consumer psychology and marketing. I study why people do what they do — especially when it defies logic. Human beings are brilliantly irrational, and that's what makes them worth studying.
I love a fresh idea, but what really gets me going is the work behind it — the careful design, the clean test, the result you can stand behind. Novelty gets you in the door. Rigor is what earns you a seat at the table.
Outside the lab, you'll find me hunting for the best meal in whatever city I've wandered into. Inside it, I'm devoted to work that does more than publish — research that moves the needle and leaves the world a little better than I found it.
Currently
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI
San Diego, CA — SCP Conference 2026
Hot pot. Always hot pot.
Research Interests
Digital & Social Media
Digital marketing, social media dynamics, and the evolving landscape of online consumer behavior
Emerging Technologies
AI, VR, AR, Metaverse, NFTs — how new technologies reshape consumer experiences and decisions
Consumer Pro-sociality
Transformative consumer research, pro-social behavior, and sustainability in consumption
Misinformation
Disinformation, consumer irrationality, and truth in the digital information ecosystem
Behavioral Decision-Making
Nudging, sensory marketing, and experimental methodology in consumer choice
Experimental Methods
Rigorous experimental design for causal inference in marketing and consumer psychology
Education & Experience
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Coastal Carolina University, SC, US
Extraordinary Assistant Professor
North-West University, South Africa
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Clemson University, SC, US · Also affiliated with Media Forensics Hub
Ph.D. in Marketing
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand · AACSB & EQUIS Accredited
Bachelor of Business (Honours)
Equivalent to Master of Marketing Research · Auckland University of Technology
Bachelor of Business — Marketing & Economics
Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Publications
41 published works · 1 FT50 · 10 A* · 22 A
FT50 Financial Times Top 50 Journal
- Arli, D., van Esch, P., & Cui, Y. (2022). Who Cares More About the Environment? The Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Quest or Atheist: Investigating the Religious Ad Appeal on Attitude toward the Environment. Journal of Business Ethics. ABDC = A, IF = 6.43
Sole-Authored
- Cui, Y. (2022). Sophia Sophia Tell Me More, Which is the Risk Free Option of All? AI Anthropomorphism and Risk Aversion in Financial Decision-Making. International Journal of Bank Marketing. ABDC = A, IF = 5.08
Peer-Reviewed Selected Publications
- van Esch, P., & Cui, Y., Christia, J., Clark, P., Bisschoff, C., & Gallagher, C. (2026). Synthetic Scarcity and Its Discontent. Australasian Marketing Journal. ABDC = A
- Cui, Y. & van Esch, P. (2025). The End of Search as We Know It: Only Those Chosen by AI Agents Will Survive in the Delegate Economy. Business Horizons. ABDC = B, IF = 10.56
- Das, G., van Esch, P., Jain, S. P., & Cui, Y. (2023). Donor Happiness Comes from Afar: The Role of Donation Beneficiary Social Distance and Benevolence. International Journal of Research in Marketing. ABDC = A*, IF = 8.05
- van Esch, P., Cui, Y., Sledge, A., Das, G., & Pala, E. (2023). Preference for Partner or Servant Brand Roles Depends on Consumers' Power Distance Belief. Journal of Business Research. ABDC = A, IF = 10.97
- Cui, Y., van Esch, P., & Phelan, S. (2024). How to Build a Competitive Advantage for Your Brand Using Generative AI. Business Horizons. ABDC = B, IF = 10.56
- van Esch, P., Cui, Y., Arli, D., & Hutchins, J. (2022). Anthropomorphizing Religious Advertising: The Moderating Role of Political Ideology. Psychology and Marketing. ABDC = A, IF = 5.51
- Abdul-Ghani, E., Kim, J., Kwon, J., Hyde, K., & Cui, Y. (2022). Love or Like: Gender Effects in Emotional Expression in Online Reviews. European Journal of Marketing. ABDC = A*, IF = 5.18
- van Esch, P., Cui, Y., Das, G., Jain, S. P., & Wirtz, J. (2022). Tourists and AI: A Political Ideology Perspective. Annals of Tourism Research. ABDC = A*, IF = 12.85
- Cui, Y., van Esch, P., Das, G., & Jain, S. P. (2022). Surge Pricing Precision and Political Ideology. Journal of Business Research. ABDC = A, IF = 10.97
- Cui, Y. & van Esch, P. (2022). Autonomy and Control: How Political Ideology Shapes the Use of Artificial Intelligence. Psychology & Marketing. ABDC = A, IF = 5.51
- Lee, J. S., Kim, J., Hwang, J., & Cui, Y. (2021). Does Love Become Hate or Forgiveness After a Double Deviation? Tourism Management, 84, 104279. ABDC = A*, IF = 12.87
- Cui, Y., Van Esch, P., & Jain, S. P. (2021). Just Walk Out: The Effect of AI-Enabled Checkouts. European Journal of Marketing. ABDC = A*, IF = 5.18
- van Esch, P., Cui, Y., & Jain, S. P. (2021). The Effect of Political Ideology and Message Frame on Donation Intent During COVID-19. Journal of Business Research, 125, 201–213. ABDC = A, IF = 10.97
- van Esch, P., Cui, Y., & Jain, S. P. (2021). COVID-19 Charity Advertising: Identifiable Victim Message Framing, Self-Construal, and Donation Intent. Journal of Advertising. ABDC = A, IF = 5.52
- Kim, J., Kim, S., Lee, J. S., Kim, P. B., & Cui, Y. (2020). Influence of Choice Architecture on the Preference for a Pro-Environmental Hotel. Journal of Travel Research, 59(3), 512–527. ABDC = A*, IF = 8.93
- Cui, Y., Errmann, A., Kim, J., Seo, Y., Xu, Y., & Zhao, F. (2020). Moral Effects of Physical Cleansing and Pro-environmental Hotel Choices. Journal of Travel Research, 59(6), 1105–1118. ABDC = A*, IF = 8.93
- Kim, J., Cui, Y., Choi, C., Lee, S. J., & Marshall, R. (2020). The Influence of Preciseness of Price Information on the Travel Option Choice. Tourism Management, 79, 104012. ABDC = A*, IF = 12.87
- Cui, Y., Kim, S. S., & Kim, J. (2020). Impact of Preciseness of Price Presentation on the Magnitude of Compromise and Decoy Effects. Journal of Business Research. ABDC = A, IF = 10.97
- van Esch, P., Cui, Y., & Jain, S. P. (2020). Stimulating or Intimidating: The Effect of AI-Enabled In-Store Communication on Consumer Patronage Likelihood. Journal of Advertising. ABDC = A, IF = 5.52
Book Chapters
- Cui, Y., & van Esch, P. (2023). AI in Customer Service Strategy. In J. Sheth et al. (Eds.), Artificial Intelligence in Customer Service, Palgrave Macmillan.
- Cui, Y., & Warren, P. (2025). Responsible Service Management in a Post-Truth Era. In H. Olya (Ed.), Responsible Service Management, Emerald Publishing.
- Stewart, L., Cui, Y., & van Esch, P. (2025). Impact of AI on Data-driven Decision-making in HR. In Rai et al. (Eds.), Emerald Publishing.
- Cui, Y., van Esch, P., & Christia, J. Beyond the Threads: Navigating Consumer Perceptions of Ethnic Fashion. In Dana et al. (Eds.), Ethnicity in the Business of Fashion, Springer.
- Cui, Y., Giebelhausen, M., & van Esch, P. The "Understanding" Economy. Encyclopedia of AI in Marketing, Springer Nature.
Under Review Papers in the Pipeline
Titles withheld to protect blind review integrity.
- FT50 targets: Journal of Consumer Psychology (2 papers), Journal of Consumer Research (Invited R&R)
- A/A* targets: Journal of Business Research, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management
- Manuscripts in preparation targeting: Nature, PNAS, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, IJRM, and others
Selected Conference Presentations
SMS Special Conference, Hong Kong · SCP Conference, San Diego · EMAC, University of Bath
AMA Winter Academic Conference, Madrid · EMAC Spring Conference, Madrid
Association for Consumer Research (ACR), Paris (3 presentations) · IJRM Conference, Columbia Business School
ACR, Seattle (2 presentations) · AMA Winter, Nashville (2 presentations)
ACR, Atlanta · Global Fashion Management, Paris · ANZMAC Doctoral Colloquium, Wellington
Teaching
Graduate (Ph.D., MBA, MS)
- Research Methods and Basic Data Analysis
- Regression Analysis
- Strategic Marketing Science
- Understanding Consumers
- Multivariate Analysis and Experimental Design
- Shopping Environment Studies
- Social Media Marketing
Undergraduate
- Principles of Marketing
- Consumer Behavior / Consumer Market Analysis
- Marketing Research
- Social Media Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Understanding Organizations
Awards, Grants & Honors
Horry County Higher Education Commission, SC, US
Coastal Carolina University — "From Disgust to Delight: Harnessing Emotions to Drive Consumer Acceptance of Cultured Meat"
ANZMAC, Dunedin, New Zealand
Academic Honor Society
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Auckland University of Technology
1 of 20 selected, ACR Conference, Atlanta, US
Media Coverage
Expert commentary for macro trend report on "The Future of Discovery" — clients include LVMH, Apple, Google, Nike, and Estée Lauder
Video interview on AI shopping agents and the impact of ChatGPT's shopping integration on consumers and brands
Digital identity, death, and AI-mediated memory
"Tech Tuesday: How is your digital identity preserved after you die?"
"OpenAI Slipped Shopping into 800 Million ChatGPT Users' Chats — Here's Why That Matters"
"Logging Off Life but Living On: How AI Is Redefining Death, Memory and Immortality"
Expert commentary on consumer credit behavior
Invited Talks
University of Alabama · Louisiana State University · Clemson University · UMass Boston · New Jersey Institute of Technology · University of South Florida · Texas Tech University · University of Georgia · University of Missouri Kansas City · Colorado State University · Kennesaw State University · University of Queensland · Portland State University · Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Auckland University of Technology
Where My Research Has Taken Me
Conferences, invited talks, and collaborations across 6 countries
Professional Service
Editorial Roles
- Editorial Review Board: Australasian Marketing Journal
- Co-Guest Editor: Journal of Wine Research — Special Issue on Multisensory Technology (2023)
- Co-Guest Editor: Business Horizons — Special Issue on The Agentic Economy (2026)
Harvard Business Review
- Advisory Council Member (2024–Present)
Ad Hoc Reviewer
Journal of Business Ethics · Journal of Consumer Research · Industrial Marketing Management · European Journal of Marketing · Journal of Business Research · Psychology & Marketing · Australasian Marketing Journal · Business Horizons · Nature Scientific Reports · Technological Forecasting & Social Change · International Journal of Hospitality Management
Conference Reviewing
ANZMAC · AMS · ACR · SCP