Customer Relationship Marketing in Martial Arts

Abstract

The present paper reviews good practices in modern management and marketing for sports clubs, especially in the Martial Arts. Objectives:  to study how modern management and especially marketing should impact the development of martial arts clubs in Romania, by comparison to good practices identified in the USA. Prior Work: most available data is from USA, and relevant literature has been thoroughly reviewed, with an emphasis on modern marketing practices;  Approach: for the purpose of clearly identifying marketing and management influence, a survey has been submitted to all known martial arts clubs registered in Romania; Results: survey results highlight the importance of modern marketing in attracting new practitioners, while modern management should make the sports activity lucrative and profitable; Implications: present findings and their interpretation are meant to provide academics and researchers with a foundation for further studies, as well as to send a signal to the policy-makers in charge;  Value: according to our knowledge, this is the first study on this subject in Romania, and its’ importance is relevant as a significant part of the health system and policies.