Dr Sungjun (Steven) Park

Profile

Dr. Sungjun (Steven) Park’s mission is to teach and mentor students to become future leaders through engaging, student-centered learning experiences.

He earned his PhD in Management Engineering (Marketing) from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). He also holds a certification in experiential learning and case method teaching from Harvard Business School.

Before joining Queen Mary, Dr. Park was a tenured Associate Professor at National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taipei, Taiwan. Prior to his academic career, he worked at Samsung Electronics headquarters in Korea as a Senior Professional in the Strategic Marketing Department, where he developed a strong foundation in consumer insights through data-driven marketing and strategic decision-making.

Drawing on his industry experience, Dr. Park’s research focuses on advertising and digital marketing strategies, with particular emphasis on human–AI interaction in marketing contexts. His work has been published in leading journals, including the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Psychology & Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, and Journal of Services Marketing, among others.

Teaching

Postgraduate

• BUSM205 Digital Economy, Big Data, Platformization
• BUSM255 Strategy & Management Consulting

Research

Research Interests:

Research interests

• Advertising
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Human-AI interaction
• Sustainability

Publications

Selected Journal Articles

For a complete list of recent publications, see Dr. Park’s Google Scholar profile.

• Park, S. S., YT Chu, & JH Chung* (2025). Designing AI agents for new product endorsement: Do human-like or cartoon-like AI-generated endorsers evoke more positive ad engagement from consumers? Journal of Advertising Research, 65 (2), 259–277.
• Hong, J., Im, I., & Park, S. S.* (2024). It’s all about timing: Captive targeting through mobile ads. Journal of Advertising, 53(2), 242–261.
• Park, S. S., Wei, X., & Lee, H.* (2024). Revisiting the elaboration likelihood model in the context of a virtual influencer: A comparison between high- and low‑involvement products. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 23(4), 1638–1652.
• Dinh, C.‑M., & Park, S. S.* (2024). How to increase consumer intention to use chatbots? An empirical analysis of hedonic and utilitarian motivations on social presence and the moderating effects of fear across generations. Electronic Commerce Research, 24, 2427–2467.
• Park, S. S., Kang, J.‑S.*, & Markman, G. (2023). Can we serve both God and money? The role of indirect appeal and its limitation. European Journal of Marketing, 57(7), 1912–1938.
• Kim, J., Ma, H., & Park, S. S.* (2023). Systematic differences in online reviews of hotel services between business and leisure travelers. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 29(2), 189–205.
• Kim, J., & Park, S. S.* (2023). Does language shape the mind? Linguistic fluency and perception of service quality. Journal of Services Marketing, 37(1), 53–64.
• Park, S. S., Tung, C.‑D., & Lee, H. (2021). The adoption of AI service robots: A comparison between credence and experience service settings. Psychology & Marketing, 38(4), 691–703.
• Park, S. S., & Park, B. (2020). Advertising on mobile apps vs. mobile web: Which is better for ad recognition and willingness to buy new products? Journal of Advertising Research, 60(4), 381–393.

• Park, B., Chang, H., & Park, S. S.* (2019). Adoption of digital devices for children education: Korean case. Telematics and Informatics, 38, 247-256.

Selected Conferences

• Lee, C.-C., Chang, C.-Y., & Park, S. S. (2025, June). Overconfident or Underprepared? The Knowledge Paradox and the Role of Financial Chatbots in Enhancing Consumer Financial Well-Being. Association for Consumer Research (ACR), Brazil.
• Chen, A. & Park, S. S. (2025, February). Would a Donation Campaign by a Virtual Human Be Effective? The Role of Perceived Authenticity and Congruence. American Marketing Association (AMA) Winter Academic Conference, United States.
• Dinh, C.-M., & Park, S. S. (2024, August). Shaping consumer perception of healthcare service robots. American Marketing Association (AMA) Summer Academic Conference, United States.
• Dinh, C.-M., Chen, Y.-Y., Pham Xuan Ban, M., Liao, C.-W., & Park, S. S. (2024, February). Meta-analysis: Consumer adoption of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (AIoT). American Marketing Association (AMA) Winter Academic Conference, United States.
• Chiang, Y. H. L., Chang, C.-Y., & Park, S. S. (2023, July). The role of subjective knowledge and financial self-efficacy in millennials’ adoption of WealthTech: An abstract. 24th AMS World Marketing Congress, Academy of Marketing Science (AMS), United Kingdom.
• Hsu, H.-J., & Park, S. S. (2023, July). Whom to trust? Collaboration between human and AI influencers in brand endorsement. American Marketing Association (AMA) Summer Academic Conference, United States.
• Tseng, L. K., & Park, S. S. (2021, August). Do we trust AI-based services using chatbots? The role of anthropomorphic design. American Marketing Association (AMA) Summer Academic Conference, United States.
• Tung, C. T., Yan, K.-F., & Park, S. S. (2020, August). The shift from human service providers to AI service robots: An empirical analysis of usability in the healthcare industry. American Marketing Association (AMA) Summer Academic Conference, United States.
• Park, S. S., Yoon, Y., & Hyun, Y. J. (2017, August). Digital self and personalized ads on social network sites. American Marketing Association (AMA) Summer Academic Conference, United States.
• Park, S. S., Hyun, Y. J., & Moreau, C. P. (2016, October). Does suspense spur or hamper consumer creativity? Association for Consumer Research (ACR), Germany.

Supervision

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in advertising and digital marketing strategies (e.g., AI, robots, virtual humans, IoT adoption).

Please feel free to get in touch via my email to explore potential supervision opportunities.

Public Engagement

Dr. Park actively engages in academia-industry collaboration. His comments have been featured in news media such as Bloomberg and the Taipei Times. He is also a member of a Harvard Business Review (HBR) Advisory Council.

He voluntarily contributes to research communities through service and engagement. Recently, he organized the doctoral consortium at a top marketing conference, the Association for Consumer Research (ACR) International Conference in Brazil. He also serves as a reviewer for several international journals and conferences, including Psychology & Marketing, American Marketing Association (AMA) and the Association for Consumer Research (ACR).

He serves as a bridge between London and Asia. He has been invited to speak at universities in South Korea (e.g., KAIST and Sungkyunkwan University) and Taiwan (e.g., National Sun Yat-sen University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taipei University, and National Tsing Hua University). He is a Visiting Associate Professor in the IMBA program at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. He speaks English, Korean, and Mandarin.