Designing a Sustainable Marketing Model in the Iranian Sports Sector Using a Grounded Theory Approach

Sustainable marketing is a vital strategy that supports the long-term success of sports businesses by integrating elements such as environmental responsibility, consumer demand, competitive advantage, cost savings, and reputation management. Sustainable marketing practices also provide a competitive edge for sports businesses, enhance the value of eco-conscious brands in the eyes of consumers, and have a positive impact on sales. Therefore, the present study aimed to design a sustainable marketing model in the Iranian sports sector using a grounded theory approach. This study employed a mixed-methods (qualitative–quantitative) exploratory design using grounded theory. The qualitative population consisted of experts and elites in the national sports industry, including professors in sport management with expertise in marketing and environmental domains. From this group, 12 individuals were selected through purposive sampling for in-depth interviews, which continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. In the quantitative phase, 250 managers, specialists, and stakeholders in Iran’s sports sector were selected via convenience sampling. In the qualitative section, research validity was confirmed based on criteria of credibility, transferability, and confirmability; in the quantitative section, it was confirmed through face and content validity. Reliability in the qualitative phase, using the test-retest method, was 0.79, and in the quantitative phase, the composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha were greater than 0.70. For data analysis, open, axial, and selective coding were used in the qualitative phase, and structural equation modeling with PLS software was applied in the quantitative phase. According to the findings, 80 indicators were identified for sustainable marketing in Iran’s sports industry, categorized into 13 criteria and 5 dimensions. The causal factors included environmental concerns, planning, and branding; contextual factors included customer orientation, innovation, and infrastructure development; intervening conditions included governmental and cultural issues; strategies included digitalization, support, and communication; and consequences included empowerment and managerial outcomes. Furthermore, based on the model validation results, the research findings demonstrated a good model fit. The structural model’s significance coefficients (t-values) indicated that all relationships between causal, contextual, intervening, strategic, and consequential factors were significant and positive. The study concluded that sustainable marketing indicators in Iran’s sports industry require attention to environmental, planning, and branding elements as causal factors, and to customer orientation, innovation, and infrastructure development as contextual components.