While Cheerios have been around for nearly 80 years, General Mills developed the gluten-free version of the Cheerios just 2 years ago. To introduce the new product, heavy television advertising campaigns were launched to create awareness about the product. Additional promotions were introduced to induce distribution partners, like wholesalers and retailers, to carry the product. From these activities, it appears General Mills treated the Gluten-Free Cheerios as in the _______ stage of the product life cycle.

Group of answer choices

growth

maturity

introduction

decline