ABSTRACT
It is no longer true that an annual plan is left unchanged for a whole year; it is more
common for advertisers to make changes to at least some part of the marketing plan while
the campaign is running. This may be in response to changes in any part of the marketing
mix. Consumer response could end up being greater or less than anticipated; product im-
provements could necessitate additional promotional efforts; new channels of distribution
could become important; or competitive pricing strategies may require alterations to
the original, approved plan. And, beyond that, economic trends can affect almost all mar-
keting efforts. For example, in recessionary times, most “experts” tend to predict that the
economic hard times will be over soon, suggesting that consumer spending will improve.
What often happens is that consumer confidence in the economy remains low for longer
