Univrsity Of Tehran Press Journal of Business Management 2008-5907 17 1 2025 03 21 Identification of Components of Innovative Marketing Strategies in the Sports Industry: A Grounded Theory Approach Identification of Components of Innovative Marketing Strategies in the Sports Industry: A Grounded Theory Approach 23 45 97349 10.22059/jibm.2024.362375.4622 FA Fatemeh Esmaeilinezhad Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Ayatollah Amoly Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran. 0000-0002-0626-3747 Mohammad Sanaie Assistant Prof., Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Chalus Branch, Islamic Azad University, Chalus, Iran. Azim Salahi Kojour Assistant Prof., Department of Sports Management, Non-profit Non-governmental Higher Education Institution Shafaq Tankabon, Tankabon, Iran. Journal Article 2023 07 16 Objective The sports industry, as one of the fastest-growing and most important industries in different societies, has always received a lot of attention. In this industry, it is necessary to use innovative marketing strategies to attract new customers, retain old customers, and increase sales. In this regard, identifying the components of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry has been considered one of the important issues in the field of marketing. In this article, using grounded data theory, important and influential components in innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry were identified and investigated. Following the presentation of the obtained results, suggestions were made for the development of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry. Methodology The current research method is based on grounded theory. To collect the required data, library studies and semi-structured and in-depth interviews were used to identify the relevant components. The general framework of the model was based on the grounded theory approach, with the constructivist approach of Charmaz (2014). The statistical population included senior sports managers, sports product manufacturers, sports industry experts, and sports management professors. Sampling was done purposively through successive sampling (15 participants). Lincoln and Guba's (1985) evaluation criteria were used to assess the quality and credibility of the qualitative results, including the criteria of validity, transferability, reliability, and confirmability. The interviews were coded using MAXQDA software. In this research, to calculate the test-retest reliability, three interviews were randomly selected from the conducted interviews. Each was coded twice, with a 30-day (one-month) interval by the researcher. The reliability coefficient was 0.89, which was confirmed and acceptable. Findings The findings showed that the effective factors on innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry include opportunism and value (4 indicators: value creation, innovative market development, innovative market discovery, opportunism), marketing variables (4 indicators: product/product promotion, innovative promotion, pricing, innovative product distribution), customer focus (3 indicators: customer satisfaction, customer orientation, innovative channels), integrated marketing (2 indicators: market focus, marketing influence), unique positioning (2 indicators: quality orientation, change and improvement), positive mental image (2 indicators: networking, good reputation in the market), marketing strategy and planning (2 indicators: marketing planning, marketing strategy), and innovative market research (2 indicators: source of innovative research, innovative market analysis). Conclusion The findings of this research provide new knowledge and insight into the development of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry. Specifically, two factors of "opportunism and value creation" and "customer focus" were identified as key and influential factors in innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry that have received less attention in previous literature. Therefore, the results of this study can contribute to the development of more effective approaches in the field of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry. Objective The sports industry, as one of the fastest-growing and most important industries in different societies, has always received a lot of attention. In this industry, it is necessary to use innovative marketing strategies to attract new customers, retain old customers, and increase sales. In this regard, identifying the components of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry has been considered one of the important issues in the field of marketing. In this article, using grounded data theory, important and influential components in innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry were identified and investigated. Following the presentation of the obtained results, suggestions were made for the development of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry. Methodology The current research method is based on grounded theory. To collect the required data, library studies and semi-structured and in-depth interviews were used to identify the relevant components. The general framework of the model was based on the grounded theory approach, with the constructivist approach of Charmaz (2014). The statistical population included senior sports managers, sports product manufacturers, sports industry experts, and sports management professors. Sampling was done purposively through successive sampling (15 participants). Lincoln and Guba's (1985) evaluation criteria were used to assess the quality and credibility of the qualitative results, including the criteria of validity, transferability, reliability, and confirmability. The interviews were coded using MAXQDA software. In this research, to calculate the test-retest reliability, three interviews were randomly selected from the conducted interviews. Each was coded twice, with a 30-day (one-month) interval by the researcher. The reliability coefficient was 0.89, which was confirmed and acceptable. Findings The findings showed that the effective factors on innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry include opportunism and value (4 indicators: value creation, innovative market development, innovative market discovery, opportunism), marketing variables (4 indicators: product/product promotion, innovative promotion, pricing, innovative product distribution), customer focus (3 indicators: customer satisfaction, customer orientation, innovative channels), integrated marketing (2 indicators: market focus, marketing influence), unique positioning (2 indicators: quality orientation, change and improvement), positive mental image (2 indicators: networking, good reputation in the market), marketing strategy and planning (2 indicators: marketing planning, marketing strategy), and innovative market research (2 indicators: source of innovative research, innovative market analysis). Conclusion The findings of this research provide new knowledge and insight into the development of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry. Specifically, two factors of "opportunism and value creation" and "customer focus" were identified as key and influential factors in innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry that have received less attention in previous literature. Therefore, the results of this study can contribute to the development of more effective approaches in the field of innovative marketing strategies in the sports industry.

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