Ozan Ozdemir, PhD

Lecturer

Faculty

Management and Marketing College of Business

Ozan Ozdemir

Areas of Study & Research

Dr. Ozan Ozdemir’s research examines how firms integrate emerging technologies into strategic marketing decisions. His work focuses on technology-mediated marketing assets, including virtual influencers, AI-driven brand agents, and digital brand content, and how these tools shape branding outcomes, customer relationships, and long-term value creation. Using experiments, field data, and applied empirical methods, his research generates actionable insights for firms seeking to use emerging technologies more effectively in their marketing strategies.

His research has been published in leading journals, including the Journal of Retailing and Computers in Human Behavior, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal.

Other Research Interests

  • Digital Marketing and Strategic Branding
  • Technology-Mediated Marketing
  • Online Marketing Communications
  • Social Media Marketing

Courses Taught

  • MRKT 440/640: International Marketing
  • MRKT 450/650: Marketing Research
  • MRKT 460: Marketing Strategy
  • BUSN 380: Business Analytics

Previous Work

Postdoctoral Fellow in Marketing at the University of Alberta

Education

  • PhD, University of Alberta
  • MS, University of Rochester
  • BS, TOBB University of Economics and Technology

Publications

  • Ozdemir, O., Kolfal, B., Messinger P. R., and Rizvi, S. (2023). Human or virtual: How influencer type shapes brand attitudes. Computers in Human Behavior, 145, 107771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107771
  • Ozdemir O.*, Karabulut, F.*, and Messinger, P. R. (2025). Can(’t) touch this: The effect of form realism and product domain in vrtual influencer endorsements. Journal of Retailing, 101(2), 298–310. (*indicates equal contribution) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2025.04.002

Presentations

  • Ozdemir O.*, Messinger, P. R., and Karabulut, F., “Influencer Marketing 2.0: The Role Of Realism In Virtual Influencer Endorsements” Association for Consumer Research; September 2024; Paris, France
  • Ozdemir, O.*, Kolfal, B., Messinger P. R., and Rizvi, S., “Human or Virtual: How Influencer Type Shapes Brand Attitudes” Society for Consumer Psychology; March 2023; San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • Ozdemir, O.* and Karabulut, F., “Online Crowdfunding as A Marketing Tool: Benefits Beyond Fundraising” International Conference on Social Sciences and Education Research; April 2017; Rome, Italy. & International Conference on Current Debates in Social Sciences; December 2017; Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Karabulut, F.* and Ozdemir, O., “The Effect of Reference Groups on Consumer Buying Behavior: The Intermediary Role of Social Media” International Conference on Social Sciences and Education Research; April 2017; Rome, Italy.