COMPETITIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE REFLECTED IN THE NEW 7P AND 9P MARKETING MIX

In the last 10 years, specific marketing activities are increasingly visible. However, marketing is not only about the mode of action, but also involves tuning to the latest theories that have emerged as a result of social and economic progress and the requirements for competitiveness, quality and performance. Through this paper we aim to highlight the relevance of marketing complexity for a free market, by considering a new form of marketing mix approach, going beyond the traditional 4P form. Currently, the market and enterprises are guided by the 7P or 9P marketing mix strategies, which will be analyzed in the paper. The question posed in support of this study is: what context led to the advancement from four to seven or nine components of the marketing mix? What exactly made the 4Ps no longer enough? The purpose of the paper is to present, from the point of view of significance for the company's performance, the current components of the marketing mix, through an applied study on two small economic units from Iași County. The results of the empirical, descriptive research show that the new variants of the marketing mix are a practical and functional reality, which bring benefits to businesses.