Ozan Ozdemir, PhD

Lecturer

Faculty

Management and Marketing College of Business

Ozan Ozdemir

Areas of Study & Research

Digital technologies are transforming the nature of consumer–brand interactions, raising important questions about how people respond to nonhuman agents in marketing contexts. Dr. Ozdemir’s research investigates the intersection of digital marketing, social media, and human–technology interaction, with a particular focus on how consumers perceive and respond to virtual entities such as virtual influencers and AI-powered service agents.

His work examines how characteristics such as a virtual agent’s form realism, behavioral realism, and linguistic style influence consumer attitudes, trust, and purchase intentions. Drawing on behavioral and field experiments, and secondary data analysis, Dr. Ozdemir identifies the conditions under which virtual agents can be as effective as, or even outperform, their human counterparts.

Dr. Ozdemir’s research has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Retailing and Computers in Human Behavior, and his work contributes to the literatures on human–technology interaction, influencer marketing, word-of-mouth, and emerging trends in consumer–brand relationships.

Other Research Interests

  • Human–technology interaction in consumer contexts
  • Social media marketing
  • Influencer marketing and virtual influencers
  • Online word-of-mouth and online reviews
  • Consumer well-being in digital environments
  • Parasocial relationships with virtual entities

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

  • UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, Alberta School of Business, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 2024 Ph.D. in Business Administration (Major in Operations and Information Systems & Minor in Marketing)
  • UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, Simon Business School, Rochester, NY, USA, 2013 M.S. in Business Administration
  • TOBB UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY, Ankara, Turkey, 2010 B.S. in Business Administration with Honors

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.