Jacob Hiler
Education
Ph.D. in Business Administration (Marketing) - Louisiana State University
M.B.A. in Business Intelligence - Xavier University
B.S.B.A. in Marketing - Xavier University
Biography
Dr. Jacob Lee Hiler is the Fox Associate Professor of Marketing and Executive Director of the Center for Consumer Research & Analytics (CRA) in the Ohio University College of Business. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Hiler worked in the marketing research industry at Parker Insights (formerly Parker Marketing Research) where he conducted research for many Fortune 500 companies including The Walt Disney Company, Pepperidge Farm, The Campbell Soup Company, Heinz, The Miller Brewing Company, Absolut, Merck, Perdue Farms, and Hilton Worldwide. He continues that passion for applied marketing research with the CRA having advised various projects for Dairy Queen, The Kellogg Company, The J.M. Smucker Company, J.P. Morgan Chase, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Rocky Brands, Moosejaw, Ibotta, Nationwide, Red Bull, Sherwin Williams, The Alzheimer’s Association, Kroger/8451, Donatos, eFuse, URBN, and Xbox.
His research interests include consumer behavior, consumer culture, relationship marketing, retail, tipping, fan communities, entertainment, and gaming. His work has appeared in the Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Research in Higher Education Journal, The Journal of Management & Marketing Research, and the Journal of Education for Business, as well as at various conferences including the American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing Sciences, Association for Consumer Research, and the Society for Marketing Advances. He is also an avid academic filmmaker who has had 13 films presented at the ACR Film Festival. Dr. Hiler also serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Marketing Management, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Consumer Marketing, and The Association for Consumer Research.
He has also served and led numerous college and university organizations including serving as a Faculty Senator, President and Vice-President of the College of Business Faculty, Co-Chair of the Teaching & Learning CIT within the College of Business, representative of the College of Business to the Center for Campus & Community Engagement, and the College of Business Professional Ethics Committee. He has also chaired and served on various college committees as well including the Marketing Department Annual Evaluation Committee, Undergraduate Programs CIT, Marketing Curriculum Committee, Marketing Outreach Committee, Marketing Department Awards Committee, Marketing Department Social Media Task Force, & numerous hiring committees.
Dr. Hiler also has many years of experience in podcasting and content creation having recorded nearly 200 podcast episodes in the gaming and entertainment space. He has collaborated with many full-time content creators and his work has been featured on various large YouTube channels as well as the iTunes (now Apple Podcasts) front page.
Dr. Hiler currently teaches Consumer Research, Influencer Marketing, and Independent Research at Ohio University. He is also an advisor on CRA projects and a regular Honors Tutorial College tutor and thesis advisor. He has previously taught Principles of Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, Marketplace Analytics, and Retailing Management.
Connect with Dr. Hiler on LinkedIn.
Awards
2026 Cutler Scholars Mentor Award - Ohio University
2025 Newsmaker – Ohio University
2024 Association for Consumer Research Best Film Runner Up Award for “Mottainai: A Cross-Cultural Study of Resale & Secondhand Stores in Japan & the US”
2024 College of Business Research Mentor Award – Ohio University
2023 Department of Marketing Research Productivity Award – Ohio University
2023 Kohei Miura Visiting Professor - Chubu University
2022 University Professor Award - Ohio University
2021 College of Business Excellence in Teaching & Learning Award - Ohio University
2021 Department of Marketing Impact Award - Ohio University
2020 Marketing Department Teaching Award - Ohio University
2020 Cutler Scholars Mentor Award - Ohio University
2019 College of Business Professional Activity and Service Award - Ohio University
2018 College of Business Research Mentor Award - Ohio University
2017 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence - Highly Commended Paper for “Brave New World of Warcraft: A Conceptual Framework for Active Escapism”
2014 AMA Sheth Foundation Consortium Fellow
2013 Daryl McKee Memorial PhD Award
2013 Southeast Marketing Symposium - Outstanding Service Award
Research Interests
Dr. Hiler's research interests include consumer behavior, consumer culture, relationship marketing, retail, tipping, fan communities, entertainment, & gaming.
Selected Publications
Jacob L. Hiler, Mick Andzulis, & Moumita Gyomlai (2025), “The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of the Marketing Profession.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Jacob L. Hiler, Wei Zhao, Makoto Shimizu, & Kayo Ito (2024), “Mottainai: A Cross-Cultural Study of Resale & Secondhand Stores in Japan & the US.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Gretchen Honer, Jessica Weeks, Moumita Gyomlai, and Jacob L. Hiler (2023), “Trash or Treasure: Trash or Treasure: Young Consumers & the Post-Purchase Journey of Luxury Packaging.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Harper Kohls, Jacob L. Hiler, & Laurel Aynne Cook (2023), “Why Do We Twitch? A Study into the Phenomenon of Vicarious Consumption.” Journal of Consumer Marketing.
Adam Hepworth, Jessica Babin Weeks, & Jacob L. Hiler (2023), “Inclusive Marketing Education: Understanding the Role of Gender in the Student Experience.” Research in Higher Education Journal.
Gretchen Honer, Jessica Weeks, Moumita Gyomlai, and Jacob L. Hiler (2023), “Trash or Treasure: Trash or Treasure: Young Consumers & the Post-Purchase Journey of Luxury Packaging.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Jacob L. Hiler, Moumita Gyomlai, & Adam Hepworth (2022), “A Tale of Two MMOs: Examining Cross-Cultural Differences in Japanese & US Game Developers.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Jacob L. Hiler & Moumita Gyomlai (2021), “Luxury in Flux: An Examination of Producer and Consumer Perceptions Amidst COVID-19.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Katie Hartman, Jacob L. Hiler, Jessica Babin, & Adam Hepworth (2020), “Cause Marketing: Expectations and Behaviors by Cause.” Journal of Management & Marketing Research
Avery E. Kerns and Jacob L. Hiler (2020), “Pac-Man & the Pack Mentality: Nostalgia & Socialization Factors in Gaming Choice.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Jacob L. Hiler and Elana Harnish (2020), “Too Big to Care: Uncovering the Ugly Truth of Brand Relationships in the Video Game Industry.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Jacob L. Hiler and Elana Harnish (2019), “Faces of Fear: Consumer Empowerment Through Active Escapism.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Carla Childers, Katie Hartman, Jacob Hiler, and Mick Andzulis (2020), “Client Projects: Student Attitudes, Learning Outcomes, and Project Evaluations.” Journal of Education for Business.
Elana Harnish and Jacob L. Hiler (2018), “Don’t Troll Me Bro: A Study of Griefing in Video Games.” The Association for Consumer Research.
Jacob L. Hiler, Laurel Cook, and William Northington (2018), “Making Inconsistent Worlds: A Conceptual Framework for Co-Competition in Service Dominant Logic.” Journal of Consumer Marketing.
Jacob L. Hiler, William Northington, and Laurel Cook (2017), “Searching for RNGesus: A Study on the Use of Randomization in Video Games,” The Association for Consumer Research.
Andrew Kuo, Jacob L. Hiler, and Richard J. Lutz (2016), “From Super Mario to Skyrim: A Framework for the Evolution of Video Game Consumption.” Journal of Consumer Behaviour.
Jacob L. Hiler, Andrew Kuo, and William Northington (2016), “Living the Stream: A Study of Voyeuristic Consumption in Video Game Live Streaming,” The Association for Consumer Research.
Andrew Kuo, Richard J. Lutz, and Jacob L. Hiler (2016), “Brave New World of Warcraft: A Conceptual Framework for Active Escapism.” Journal of Consumer Marketing.
Jacob L. Hiler and Andrew Kuo (2014), “The Mask We Wear: Consumer Escapism Through Cosplay,” The Association for Consumer Research.
Stephanie Mangus, Jacob L. Hiler, and Ben McLarty (2012), “A New Tool for Customer Segmentation: Defining and Measuring Relationship Proneness,” American Marketing Association: Summer Marketing Educators Conference, Page 212.
Jacob L. Hiler (2012), “Co-Creation and Co-Production of Value: Competition Amongst Subcultures of Consumption,” The Association for Consumer Research.