Huachao Gao

Associate Professor

Contact:: Office: BEC 426 hcgao@uvic.ca 250-472-5503

Credentials:: BA in Marketing, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics; Master in Marketing, Nanjing University; PhD in Marketing, University of Texas at San Antonio

Area of expertise:: Consumer identity, luxury and status consumption, consumer responses to price increases, consumer food waste

Biography

Dr. Huachao (H.C.) Gao currently serves as an associate professor of marketing and international business at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria. He joined the Gustavson School of Business at UVic in 2016, bringing with him a fascination for consumer identity and its broad implications for consumer decision making.

Using consumer identity as a theoretical perspective, Huachao’s research examines how various consumer identity (e.g., cross-cultural identity, global versus local identity, gender identity) impacts a wide range of consumer behaviours such as luxury consumption, acceptance of price increases, educational choices and food waste. His research articles have appeared in leading marketing journals including the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research and the Journal of Academy and Marketing Science. Given his expertise in these marketing fields, he currently sits on the editorial review board of several notable journals, including the Journal of Marketing Research and the Journal of Business Research.

Huachao has taught various marketing-related courses at Gustavson, including Marketing Principles and Management (COM 351), International Marketing (IB 416) and Digital Marketing (COM 450). Before joining Gustavson, he also taught consumer behaviour at University of Texas at San Antonio.

Huachao is also an active and valuable member in our community. He has served on the Dean’s Search Committee (2021-2022), Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (chair, 2022-2024), Gustavson Research Committee (2023-).

Teaching

Courses taught

International Marketing (International Business Specialization)
Marketing Principles & Management (BCom)
Digital and Social Media Marketing (BCom)

Selected publications

Journal publications

Gao, Huachao, He Michael Jia, Bingxuan Guo (2023), “Resources Available for Me versus Us: Implications for Mitigating Consumer Food Waste,” Journal of Marketing Research, in press.

Gao, Huachao, and Yinlong Zhang (2022), “'How Does Power Distance Belief Impact Consumers’ Responses to Demotion in Hierarchical Loyalty Programs? The Dual Processes of Monetary and Psychological Losses,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50, 822-40.

Tu, Lingjiang Lora, Jaehwan Kwon, and Huachao Gao (2022), “Heart or Mind? The Impact of Power Distance Belief on the Persuasiveness of Cognitive versus Affective Appeal in Education Marketing Messages,” Journal of Marketing Research, 59 (1), 173-90.

Jiang, Ling (student), Huachao Gao, and Linda Hui Shi (2021), “The Effect of Power Distance Beliefs on the Inconspicuous versus Conspicuous Consumption of Luxury Accessories in China and the USA,” Journal of Marketing Management, 37 (15-16), 1459-89.

Gao, Huachao, Vikas Mittal, and Yinlong Zhang (2020), “The Differential Effect of Local-Global Identity Among Males and Females: The Case of Price Sensitivity,” Journal of Marketing Research, 57 (1), 173-191.

Gao, Huachao, Yinlong Zhang, and Vikas Mittal (2017), “How Does Local-Global Identity Affect Price Sensitivity?” Journal of Marketing, 81 (3), 62-79.

Gao, Huachao, Karen Page Winterich, and Yinlong Zhang (2016), “All That Glitters is Not Gold: How Others’ Status Influences the Effect of Power Distance Belief on Status Consumption,” Journal of Consumer Research, 43 (2), 265-281.

Presentations

Chen, Haipeng (Allan), Andrea W. Luangrath, Huachao Gao, Brady Hodges, and (2023, August), “Employing Multi-Method in Consumer Research,” American Marketing Association Summer Conference, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Pan, Yu, Huachao Gao, Xiaoyu Wang, Yamei Liu (2022, October), “How does Local-global Identity Impact Consumer Preference for Leisure over Work? The Perspective of Production Orientation,” Association for Consumer Research, Denver, Colorado, USA

Gao, Huachao and Dengfeng Yan (2020, October), “The Joint Effect of Social Status and Power Distance Belief on Consumer Preference For Cuteness,” Association for Consumer Research, Paris, France (virtual conference).

Gao, Huachao, Yinlong Zhang, and Vikas Mittal (2018, October), “The Effect of Identity Conflict on Price Sensitivity,” Association for Consumer Research, Dallas, TX, USA.

Gao, Huachao and Yinlong Zhang (2018, May), “The Effect of Long-Term Orientation on Variety Seeking,” Chinese Marketing International Conferences, Shanghai, China (CMIC best paper award).

Gao, Huachao and Yinlong Zhang (2017, October), “The Effect of Long-Term Versus Short-Term Orientation on Variety Seeking,” Association for Consumer Research, San Diego, CA.

Gao, Huachao and Yinlong Zhang (2015, October), “The Effect of Power Distance Belief and Status Demotion in Hierarchical Loyalty Programs,” Association for Consumer Research, New Orleans, LA.

Gao, Huachao, Yinlong Zhang, and Vikas Mittal (2015, August), “Local Identity Makes Me Willing to Pay More: The Sacrifice Mindset Explanation,” Summer Marketing Educators’ Conference (Summer AMA), Chicago, IL.

Gao, Huachao, Yinlong Zhang, and Vikas Mittal (2015, June), “Consumers’ Local-Global Identity and Price Sensitivity,” Association for Consumer Research Asia-Pacific Conference, Hong Kong, China.

Gao, Huachao, Karen Page Winterich, and Yinlong Zhang (2015, February), “How Does Power Distance Belief Affect Status Consumption,” Winter Marketing Educators’ Conference (Winter AMA), San Antonio, TX.

Gao, Huachao, Karen Page Winterich, and Yinlong Zhang (2014, October), “Power Distance Belief and Status Consumption,” Association for Consumer Research, Baltimore, MD.

Yan, Dengfeng and Huachao Gao (2014, October), “Having More But Not Felling Better: The Effects of Merely Owning Preventive Goods on Risk Perceptions,” Association for Consumer Research, Baltimore, MD.

Gao, Huachao and Yinlong Zhang (2013, October), “‘Following Behind’ versus ‘Keeping Up’: The Effect of Power Distance Belief and Superior’s Consumption on Consumer’s Preference for Status Related Products,” Association for Consumer Research, Chicago, IL.

Gao, Huachao (2013, February), “The Effect of Dukes’ Consumption on Consumer Preferences for Status Associated Products,” Society for Consumer Psychology, San Antonio, TX.

Awards & grants

Recognition & awards

2022 - Excellence in Research, Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria
2014 - AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium Fellow, American Marketing Association (AMA)

Grants

Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “How Does Power Distance Belief Impact Consumer Food Waste?,” Internal Research/Creative Project Grant, University of Victoria, $7,000, 2023-2024.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “Consumer Identity in the Global Era and Their Food Waste Decision,” Internal Research/Creative Project Grant, University of Victoria, $7,000, 2022-2023.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “Marketing Strategy of Crowdfunding Projects,” Gustavson Executive Research Grant, University of Victoria, $2,500, 2022-2023.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Decision Making,” Gustavson Executive Research Grant, University of Victoria, $2,500, 2022-2023.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “At Least I Can Control How Much Food I Waste: How Sense of Control Impact Consumer Food Waste,” Internal Research/Creative Project Grant, University of Victoria, $7,000, 2021-2022.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), Linda H. Shi, Yinlong Zhang, and Ling Jiang “How Do Bicultural Consumers’ Accessible Cultural Values Affect Luxury Product Consumption: Inconspicuous versus Conspicuous, Counterfeit versus Genuine,” Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant, $87,987, 2017-2020.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “The Effect of Power Distance Belief on Consumer Reactions to Price Increases,” UVic Internal Research Grant, $7,000, 2017-2020.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “Cultural Influences and Consumer Status Change in Loyalty Programs,” $11,000, Carolan Research Institute Grant 2016-2019.
Gao, Huachao (Principal Investigator), “Cultural Differences and Consumers’ Variety Seeking Behavior,” $5,000, International Business Grant, College of Business, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2014-2015.