Research that provides information regarding the monitoring of the marketing system. It is an essential element in the control of marketing programs in accordance with plans. The purpose of this research is to signal the presence of potential problems or opportunities. The objectives of performance monitoring research are to monitor and report changes
(1) in performance measures, such as sales and market share, to determine whether plans are accomplishing desired objectives;
(2) in subobjectives, such as awareness and knowledge levels, distribution penetration, and price levels, to determine whether the marketing program is being implemented according to plans; and
(3) in the situation variables, such as competitive activity, economic conditions, and demand trends, to determine whether the situational climate is as anticipated when plans were formulated.
