DECA Crash Course
Your Guide to the DECA Basics
Outline of Lesson
 Can you DECA?
 DECA Xavier Guidelines
 Crash Course:
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The 4 P’s
Promotional Mix
Product Life Cycle
Always be Closing Exercise
Why Are You in DECA?
DECA Xavier Guidelines
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Bring a folder/binder to every meeting
Paper/ Pencil
Take Notes When Asked
“Have Fun but get your work done!”™
What Do You Know About this
Product?
The Four P’s
 Product – what product would interest the target market,
how to package it, what brand name to use, and what
image to project.
 Place – how and where a product should be distributed to
attract the target market.
 Price – how much is the target market willing or able to
pay for the product.
 Promotion – how the potential customers of the target
market will be told about the product (commercials, etc.),
what message will be presented, where and when it will be
delivered.
Promotional Mix
 Advertising
 Presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or
services by an identified sponsor. Examples: Print ads,
radio, television, billboard, direct mail, brochures and
catalogs, signs, in-store displays, posters,mobile apps,
motion pictures, Web pages, banner ads, and emails.
Coke Spends 2.9 Billion
Annually on Advertising
 Personal selling
 A process of helping and persuading one or more
prospects to purchase a good or service or to act on
any idea through the use of an oral presentation.
Examples: Sales presentations, sales meetings, sales
training and incentive programs for intermediary
salespeople, samples, and telemarketing. Can be faceto-face selling or via telephone.
 When new products are being marketed, personal
selling can be used to build awareness. For example,
coke might offer samples at popular events for their
new flavour.
 Sales Promotion
 Media and non-media marketing communication are
employed for a pre-determined, limited time to
increase consumer demand, stimulate market
demand or improve product availability.
 Examples: Coupons, sweepstakes, contests, product
samples, rebates, tie-ins, self-liquidating premiums,
trade shows, trade-ins, and exhibitions.
 Sales promotion is a
way for businesses to
interact with their
target market.
Businesses want this
interaction to lead to
more interest and
subsequently higher
sales for their product.
 Public relations
 Paid intimate stimulation of supply for a product,
service, or business unit by planting significant news
about it or a favorable presentation of it in the media.
Examples: Newspaper and magazine articles/reports,
TVs and radio presentations, charitable contributions,
speeches, issue advertising, and seminars.
 PR is used to build a favourable brand image.
 Direct Marketing
 a form of advertising that allows businesses and
nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer,
with advertising techniques such as mobile
messaging, email, interactive consumer websites,
online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution,
promotional letters, and outdoor advertising.
 Direct marketing is often meant to capture your
attention and implant an enticing picture of the brand
advertised.
Product Life Cycle
1. Development:
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Product is prepared to be introduced to the market
No product sales have been made yet
Considered the “incubation period”
Introduction
 Period when product is first introduced to the market
 People are still unaware of the product
 Overall sales remain low
 Advertising costs are very high and create brand
awareness
 Usually product prices remain high
Growth
 Sales begin to rapidly increase
 More retailers want to carry the product
 Product quality improves (ex. packaging)
 Advertising increases to grow preferential branding
Maturity
 Most profitable stage of the cycle
 Sales increase, but at a slower pace than before
 Product differentiation is explored and introduced
 New resellers and distribution channels
 Advertising focuses on brand loyalty
Decline
 Change in customer preferences, technology or
 market can lead to product decline
 Number of products produced declines
 Lower prices on product
 Less resellers carry the product
 No real advertising; may reinforce brand image
Always be Closing
 Separate into teams of 3-5
 You will be given a product
 You will have five minutes to come up with a creative
pitch incorporating aspects of today’s lesson
 The audience will play the role of company executives
looking to choose a new marketing campaign
 Remember to focus on target market, avenues of
advertising and how to capitalize on the exposure of
the product due to its stage in the product life cycle.