Model & Mechanism Development (mksc-theory-development)

When to trigger

• The phenomenon is interesting but there is no formal model yet
• The "mechanism" is verbal and needs to be written as primitives, payoffs, and equilibrium
• A structural story lacks an identification argument (what variation pins down each parameter)
• An analytical model lacks crisp comparative statics or testable predictions

In Marketing Science, "theory" means a model

Unlike behavior-first venues where theory is a verbal mechanism, here a contribution is carried by a mathematical model. Build whichever genre the question demands.

Analytical (game-theoretic) models

• State primitives: players (firms, consumers, platform), action spaces, information structure, timing, and payoffs.
• Solve for equilibrium (Nash/subgame-perfect/Bayesian) and prove existence/uniqueness where needed.
• Derive comparative statics — sign how equilibrium prices, advertising, or profits move with a parameter — and surface the counterintuitive result that is the contribution.
• Keep assumptions transparent and motivated by marketing institutions (double marginalization, competitive response, targeting).