Staff Profile

Biography

Xun (Irene) Huang is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Department of Global Business and Marketing at the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. She earned her Ph.D. in Marketing from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. As a consumer psychologist, her research focuses on brand communications, digital marketing, and the role of sensory and emotional experiences in shaping consumer decision-making and behavior. Her recent work explores digital marketing in emerging contexts, and examines how brand communication strategies, sensory inputs, and emotional cues shape consumer decision-making and preferences.

Her research has been published in top-tier academic journals, including UTD24 and FT50 outlets such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Psychology, and MIS Quarterly. She has received numerous research awards, including the Purpose Paper Award at the 2025 American Academy of Advertising Conference, the Outstanding Paper Award at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Marketing Academy Conference, two Top Paper Awards at the AEJMC Annual Conference (2022 and 2023), the SCP Park Young Contributor Award in 2015, and was named an MSI Young Scholar in 2019.

She is actively engaged in the academic community, serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of Consumer Psychology and the Journal of Business Research, and regularly reviewing for leading academic journals and research funding bodies. Prior to joining Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Dr. Huang held faculty appointments at Nanyang Technological University and Sun Yat-sen University. At NTU, she was recognized with both the NBS Research Excellence Award (2017) and the NBS Teaching Excellence Award (2021).

Dr. Huang is currently recruiting Ph.D. and MPhil students with a strong interest in consumer behavior research for the Spring 2026 intake. Applicants should have (or be close to completing) a degree in marketing, psychology, or a related behavioral field. Candidates should be self-motivated, independent, and interested in an academic career. Preference will be given to those with experience in experimental methods, statistical or web programming (e.g., SPSS, Qualtrics), and relevant research experience (e.g., RA work, projects, or a thesis). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested applicants, please email Dr. Huang your CV, a research proposal using behavioral experiments, transcripts, English test scores, and any relevant publications, preferably before July 31, 2025.

Teaching Areas & Research Interests

• Consumer Behavior
• Brand Communications
• Digital Marketing
• Sensory Marketing
• Emotions and Social Relationships

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

• Li, S., Huang, X., Wang, L., Jiang, Y., Luo, X. (2026), Exploring online help-seeking tendencies: The influence of experience type and helper identity. MIS Quarterly. Forthcoming.
• Tang, Q., Huang, X., & Zhang, K. (2026), Simple or complex logos? The impact of logo complexity on brand luxuriousness perception. International Journal of Research in Marketing. Forthcoming.
• Tang, Q., Huang, X., & Zhang, K. (2025), A matter of taste: Seeking uniqueness in the metaverse consumption. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. 10(2), 153-164.
• Zhou, X., Lou, C., & Huang, X. (2025), When social media gets political: How message–platform match affects consumer responses to brand activism advertising. Journal of Advertising, 54(3), 342-358.
• Zhou, X., Lou, C., & Huang, X. (2024). Transcendent brand activism advertising: Explicating the roles of color and message framing in advertising effectiveness. Journal of Advertising, 53(2), 183-199.
• Lou, C., Zhou, X., Huang, X., Goh, X. Y., Lee, Y. J., Loon, K. T. B., & Por, X. R. (2023). Flattering me in the right way: Exploring language use and ethnic cues in localized advertising among Singaporean consumers. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(1), 55-72.
• Lou, C., Zhou, X., Huang, X., Qiu, C., & Yuan, M. (2023). Fostering consumer engagement during an omnipresent victim crisis: Understanding the roles of values in pandemic-themed advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 42(5), 890-915.
• Tang, Q., Zhang, K., & Huang, X. (2022). Indulgent consumption signals interpersonal warmth. Journal of Marketing Research, 59(6), 1179-1196.
• Huang, X., & Labroo, A. A. (2020). Cueing morality: The effect of high-pitched music on healthy choice. Journal of Marketing, 84(6), 130-143.
• Wyer, R. S., Dong, P., Huang, X., Huang, Z., & Wan, L. S. (2019). The effect of incidental emotions on judgments and behavior in unrelated situations: A review. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 4(2), 198-207.
• Huang, X., & Dong, P. (2019). Romantic crushes promote variety-seeking behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 29(2), 226-242.
• Huang, Z., Huang, X., & Jiang, Y. (2018). The impact of death-related media information on consumer value orientation and scope sensitivity. Journal of Marketing Research, 55(3), 432-445.
• Huang, X., Dong, P., & Labroo, A. A. (2018). Feeling disconnected from others: The effects of ambient darkness on hedonic choice. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 35(1), 144-153.
• Huang, X., Huang, Z., & Wyer, R. S. (2018). The influence of social crowding on brand attachment. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(5), 1068-1084.
• Huang, X., Dong, P., & Wyer, R. S. (2017). Competing for attention: The effects of jealousy on preference for attention-grabbing products. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(2), 171-181.
• Huang, X., Huang, Z., & Wyer, R. S. (2016). Slowing down in the good old days: The effect of nostalgia on consumer patience. Journal of Consumer Research, 43(3), 372-387.
• Dong, P., Huang, X., & Zhong, C.–B. (2015). Ray of hope: Hopelessness increases preferences for brighter lighting. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(1), 84-91.
• Huang, X., Zhang, M., Hui, M. K., & Wyer, R. S. (2014). Warmth and conformity: The effect of ambient temperature on product preferences and financial decisions. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(2), 241-250.
• Dong, P., Huang, X., & Wyer, R. S. (2013). The illusion of saving face: How people symbolically cope with embarrassment. Psychological Science, 24(10), 2005-2012.
• Huang, X., Li, X., & Zhang, M. (2013). Seeing the social roles of brands: How physical positioning influences brand evaluation. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(4), 509-514.
• Huang, X., Dong, P., Dai, X., & Wyer, R. S. (2012). Going my way? The benefits of travelling in the same direction. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 978-981.

Selected Professional & Community Services

• Member of the Editorial Review Board, Journal of Consumer Psychology
• Member of the Editorial Review Board, Journal of Business Research

Modified Date: 20 Jul, 2025
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