How does the promotional mix change at different stages of the product life cycle

Before the first stage which is introduction, the product is still just an idea. During this very first stage, the product producer develops plans for the future product and starts researching marketing methods that might be very useful in the future. This includes ways to promote the product or to attract customers' attention through campaigns and other promotions. This phase is all about planning, which means the producer doesn't use any marketing strategies yet. As the product hits the market, which happens during the introduction stage of a product life cycle, it's very important to bring awareness of the product. For this stage, the producer should choose a type of promotion techniques that will make customers be aware of the product. This requires lots of effort. During the second stage, which is growth the customers are already aware of the product and sales usually increase. In order to keep it this way, the company should start to use marketing techniques like branding, which would make the product different from the others. Maturity stage is a stage, where the product gains over its competition. In this stage, the producers want to get costumers from competitors. That's why it is important and very beneficial to use special, and interesting promotions. The last stage of the product life cycle is decline. The company can retain their old customers, but it's hard to attract new sales from new customers. The company tries to keep the good and positive image of the company. The main focus is on the reinforcing the brand image. During this stage marketing efforts decline.