Gao, Leilei（高蕾蕾）

Biography

Prof. Leilei Gao is an Associate Professor of Marketing at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. She received her PhD in Marketing from Stanford University. Prof. Gao’s research interest centres on situational influences on consumers’ decision-making, goal-setting and self-regulations. Her research sheds light on the external determinants of goal-directed behaviours, promotes consumers’ self-control and well-being, and guides the design of effective marketing programmes. Prof. Gao’s research has been published in journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, and Journal of Consumer Psychology.

Teaching Areas

Integrated Marketing Communications
Strategic Brand Management

Research Interests

Motivation
Decision Making
Social Cognition

• Publications & Working Papers

  Publications

  • Gao, Leilei and Yan Zhang (2022), “Procedure Dependence in Resource Allocations: How Focusing on the Resource or Target Affects Variety-Seeking,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
  • Chen, Yunqing and Leilei Gao (2021), “The Identified Donor Effect: Disclosure of the Donor’s Name Shapes the Recipient’s Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Psychology.
  • Fan, Tingting, Leilei Gao, and Yael Steinhart (2020), “The Small Predicts Large Effect in Crowdfunding,” Journal of Consumer Research, 47(4), 544-565.
    • Featured in Wall Street Journal, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-downside-of-crowdfunding-campaigns-that-start-off-strong-11604068017.
  • Zhang, Yan and Leilei Gao (2016), “Wanting Ever More: Acquisition Procedure Motivates Continued Reward Acquisition,” Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 43 (August), 230-45.
  • Gao, Leilei, Yanjie Li, and Robert S. Wyer (2016), “Choosing Between Two Evils: The Determinants of Preferences for Two Equally Goal-Inconsistent Options,” Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 42 (January), 1002-12.
  • Gao, Leilei and Itamar Simonson (2016), “The Positive Effect of Assortment Size on Purchase Likelihood: The Moderating Influence of Decision Order,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 9, 26(4), 542-49.
  • Gao, Leilei, Yanliu Huang, and Itamar Simonson (2014), “The Influence of Initial Possession Level on Consumers’ Adoption of a Collection Goal: A Tipping Point Effect,” Journal of Marketing, 78, 143-56.
  • Su, Lei and Leilei Gao (2014), “Strategy compatibility: The time versus money effect on product evaluation strategies,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(4), 549-56.
  • Gao, Leilei, Christian Wheeler, and Baba Shiv (2009), “The ‘Shaken Self’: Product Choices as a Means of Restoring Self-View Confidence,” Journal of Consumer Research, 36, 29-38.

  Working Papers

  • “When the Irrelevant Becomes Relevant: The Impact of Small Talk on Consumer Engagement in Livestream Shopping” (under review)
  • “The Power of Names: How Helper Name Disclosure Shapes Online Reciprocal Behavior” (under review)
  • “The Cure of Preference: Adding A Shared Compromise Decreases Consumer Choice of the More Desirable Product” (under review)
  • “The Persuasive Power of Self- vs. Audience-Focused Product Recommendation Posts on Social Media Platforms” (manuscript in preparation)
  • “The Consumption Order Effect in Knowledge Acquisition” (manuscript in preparation)
  • “Unveiling the Discrepancy Between Reviewer Intent and Consumer Interpretation” (manuscript in preparation)

• Grants
  • Hong Kong Research Grants Council Competitive Grant 14500423, 2024-2026 (Principal Investigator)
  • Hong Kong Research Grants Council Competitive Grant 14502921, 2022-2023 (Principal Investigator)
  • Hong Kong Research Grants Council Competitive Grant 14503618, 2018-2020 (Principal Investigator)
  • Hong Kong Research Grants Council Competitive Grant 4441542, 2016-2018 (Principal Investigator)
  • Hong Kong Research Grants Council Competitive Grant 490831, 2013-2017 (Principal Investigator)
  • Hong Kong Research Grants Council Competitive Grant 444511, 2011-2013 (Principal Investigator)

• Awards & Honours
  • Young Researcher Award, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2018
  • Teaching Merit Award, CUHK Business School, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024
  • Faculty Teaching Award , CUHK Business School, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008-2009, 2010- 2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015