Professor Yuksel Ekinci
Biography
Yuksel joined the University of Portsmouth in 2017 from Henley Business School, University of Reading, where he was Professor of Marketing and Director of Postgraduate Research for the marketing subject group. Before that, he spent 14 years at Oxford Brookes University and the University of Surrey. At the University of Portsmouth, Yuksel currently teaches Research Methods to postgraduate and undergaduate students.
As an active researcher and an international academic, Yuksel has participated in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2001, 2008, 2014 and 2021 since starting his academic career in the UK. His work has contributed to better understanding of consumer behaviour, business research methods and brand management. He has authored/co-authored two books, many book chapters, conference papers and peer-reviewed journal articles. His academic work was published in international marketing journals such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, International Journal of Human Resources Management. His work has been cited over 19000 times. Additionaly Yuksel has supervised 27 doctoral & over 200 postgraduate students to successful completion. He is an editorial board member of several marketing and tourism journals. Yuksel was recognised by Research.com - a prominent academic platform for scientists - in their 2022 Ranking of Top 1500 International Scientists in the area of Best Business and Management Scientists and has been ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scholars for three consecutive years—2023, 2024, and 2025 based on the list produced by Stanford University and Elsevier in 2026. He is a member of the Agile Centre for Equitable Sustainability and Experimental Research Cluster.
Yuksel is deeply interested in the practical side of marketing and is passionate about finding solutions to applied marketing problems. Before joining academia, he worked in the hotel and tourism industry. Since then he has completed consultancy projects dealing with marketing research and international brand strategy development for public and private organisations in the UK and Europe. His clients included notable companies such as Carabao, IBM, Ogilvy, BSkyB, Danish Telecom, QCi ltd, Ayhanlar Holding among others.
Research outputs
2026
Metahuman social media influencers and the endorsement of cultural city brands
Can, A. S., Javed, A., Ekinci, Y.
5 Nov 2026, In: Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. 20, 8, p. 1163–1178, 16p.
Research output: Article
Closing the knowledge gap: How moral obligations, perceived benefits, and dispositional greed shape influencer advertising code compliance
Can, A. S., Ekinci, Y., Kesgin, M., Dam, S.
28 Oct 2026, In: Journal of Advertising
Research output: Article
Perceived privacy invasion and consumer adoption willingness of AI-powered personalized recommendations: the mediating role of psychological resistance and moderating role of perceived algorithm transparency
Zhu, X., Pongsakornrungsilp, S., Pongsakornrungsilp, P., Ekinci, Y.
6 Sep 2026, In: Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research. 21, 9, 39p., 310
Research output: Article
Sustainability values and carbon offset willingness among UK tourists: a values-based segmentation study
Oshriyeh , O., Sirakaya-Turk, E., Ekinci, Y.
1 Aug 2026, In: Sustainability. 18, 15, 22p., 7666
Research output: Article
Drivers and outcomes of customer engagement in livestreaming commerce
Hameed, I., Khan, K., Waqas, M., Ekinci, Y., Jiamin, G.
1 Jun 2026, In: Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 92, 13p., 104850
Research output: Article
Human vs. metahuman brand endorsements: assessing the effectiveness of social media influencers in online brand engagement
Ekinci, Y., Can, A. S., Javed, A., Viglia, G.
19 May 2026, In: Internet Research. 36, 3, p. 965-988
Research output: Article
Leveraging Cittaslow promotion on social media to enhance tourists’ behavioural responses toward small urban tourism destinations
Ozer, M., Can, A. S., Ekinci, Y., Özer, A.
1 Mar 2026, In: Journal of Travel Research. 65, 3, p. 812-832
Research output: Article
2025
Brand morality: A critical review and contemporary challenges
Wei, Y., Sit, K. (., Ekinci, Y.
1 Dec 2025,
Research output: Chapter (peer-reviewed)
Social media influencers in tourism and hospitality: a comprehensive review combining bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review
Javed, A., Vardarsuyu, M., Can, A. S., Ekinci, Y.
2 Oct 2025, In: Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research. 36, 4, p. 874-904
Research output: Article
Exploring guest engagement with Airbnb: consumer benefits and psychological ownership perspective
Ekinci, Y., Buran, I., Celik, S., kocak, a.
28 Aug 2025, In: Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, 31p.
Research output: Article