Monic Sun

Associate Professor, Marketing

Monic Sun studies counter-intuitive market phenomena. Her research suggests that acknowledging that people have different and sophisticated tastes could often deepen our understanding of a puzzle in the market (e.g., a high variance of online ratings may contribute to product sales; people may not follow what their “friends” do on social media; geo-targeting may alleviate price wars; people can derive happiness from both materials and experiences). She also finds that enthusiasm for new technologies and public policies often needs to be treated with caution (e.g., mandatory disclosure of product information may lead to higher prices; sharing ad-revenue with bloggers may push content towards mainstream topics; smart technologies may lead firms to price more aggressively; recycling may lead to wasteful consumption).

Monic uses game theory, causal inferences and experimentation in her research and welcomes interdisciplinary collaboration. Currently she is curious about the essential differences, if any, between artificial and human intelligence. Her work has been published in top marketing journals and mentioned by popular media outlets such as the BBC, Forbes and NPR. She currently serves on the editorial review board of Marketing Science. Monic holds a B.A. from Peking University and a Ph.D. from Boston University, both in economics.

    Education
  • PhD, Boston University, 2008
  • MA, Boston University, 2006
  • BA, Peking University, 2003
    Publications
  • Tony, K., Sun, M., Jiang, B. (In Press). "Peer-to-Peer Markets with Bilateral Ratings", Marketing Science
  • Weingarten, E., Duke, K., Liu, W., Hamilton, R., Amir, O., Appel, G., Cerf, M., Goodman, J., Morales, A., O'Brien, E., Quoidbach, J., Sun, M. (2023). "What Makes People Happy? Decoupling the Experiential-Material Continuum", Journal of Consumer Psychology
  • Sun, M., Tyagi, R. (2020). "Product Fit Uncertainty and Information Provision in a Distribution Channel", Production and Operations Management, 29 (10), 2381-2402
  • Sun, M., Zhang, X., Zhu, F. (2019). "U-Shaped Conformity in Online Social Networks", Marketing Science, 38 (3), 461-480
  • Chen, Y., Li, X., Sun, M. (2017). "Competitive Mobile Geo Targeting", Marketing Science, 36 (5), 666-682
  • Sun, M., Trudel, R. (2017). "The Effect of Recycling Versus Trashing on Consumption: Theory and Experimental Evidence", Journal of Marketing Research, 54 (2), 293-305
  • Branco, F., Sun, M., Villas-Boas, J. (2016). "Too Much Information? Information Provision and Search Costs", Marketing Science, 35 (4), 605-618
  • Sun, M., Zhu, F. (2013). "Ad Revenue and Content Commercialization: Evidence from Blogs", Management Science, 59 (10), 2314-2331
  • Branco, F., Sun, M., Villas-Boas, J. (2012). "Optimal Search for Product Information", Management Science, 58 (11), 2037-2056
  • Liu, T., Sun, M. (2012). "Informal Payments in Developing Countries' Public Health Sectors", Pacific Economic Review, 17 (4), 514-524
  • Thomadsen, R., Zeithammer, R., Iyer, G., Mayzlin, D., Orhun, Y., Pazgal, A., Purohit, D., Rao, R., Riordan, M., Shin, J., Sun, M., Villas-Boas, M. (2012). "A Reflection on Analytical Work in Marketing: Three Points of Consensus", Marketing Letters, 23 (2), 381-389
  • Sun, M. (2012). "How Does the Variance of Product Ratings Matter?", Management Science, 58 (4), 696-707
  • Sun, M. (2011). "Disclosing Multiple Product Attributes", Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 20 (1), 195-224
    Awards and Honors
  • 2019, Dean's Research Scholar
  • 2019, FT MBA Class of 2019 Favorite Elective Professor
  • 2017, NET Institute Summer Research Grant
  • 2013, Finalist, John D.C. Little Award
  • 2012, NET Institute Summer Research Grant
  • 2011, NET Institute Summer Research Grant