“House of CJ” emerges as experiential hub targeting North American consumers
CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun visited the United States to inspect the company’s expanding global business operations and reinforce its K-culture-driven growth strategy, signaling a broader push to position CJ as a global lifestyle platform rather than simply a sports sponsor.
CJ Group announced on Sunday that Lee recently visited The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, held in McKinney, Texas, where he reviewed on-site brand operations and discussed future global expansion opportunities.
The visit marked the first time Lee personally attended The CJ Cup in the United States. During the event, he reportedly focused on evaluating local consumer responses to CJ’s integrated experiential space, “House of CJ,” which combined the group’s food, beauty, and entertainment businesses into a single immersive platform.
Rather than limiting the tournament experience to golf viewing, CJ Group concentrated this year on creating a broader cultural experience centered around Korean lifestyle content. Visitors were able to experience a range of K-culture offerings, including bibigo food menus, cocktails from premium liquor brand Jari, Olive Young beauty zones, Tous les Jours bakery spaces, and immersive ScreenX cinematic content.
In particular, House of CJ significantly expanded both its scale and content lineup this year. Industry observers said the integrated experiential format helped increase visitor engagement and strengthen consumer interaction with CJ’s brands by combining food, beauty, and entertainment into a unified space.
CJ Group has been increasingly positioning The CJ Cup as a global marketing platform. By combining the PGA Tour’s premium sports audience with rising global interest in Korean culture, the company aims to strengthen brand recognition and deepen consumer engagement in overseas markets.
Approximately 240,000 spectators attended this year’s tournament, according to organizers. CJ used the event to introduce K-food, K-beauty, and K-content naturally to North American consumers while strengthening its presence in the broader lifestyle market.
Industry analysts say CJ has been aggressively expanding its food and cultural content businesses in North America, which it views as a key growth market. In that context, The CJ Cup is increasingly being seen not just as a sports sponsorship event, but as a strategic business hub supporting the group’s broader global expansion ambitions.
By creating direct consumer touchpoints through large-scale experiential marketing, the company is seeking to build long-term customer loyalty in the U.S. market, analysts added.
“At The CJ Cup, we should go beyond simply hosting a golf tournament and develop it into a representative platform where American consumers can directly experience the K-lifestyle,” Lee said during the event. “Based on this, we must expand global business opportunities and create a foundation where Korean youth can pursue bigger dreams on the world stage.”
CJ Group said it plans to continue strengthening synergies among bibigo, Olive Young, and its content businesses, while accelerating its transformation into a global lifestyle and culture company centered on K-culture.
