In an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS's Shweta Ramsay, Kwag discusses the direction and strategies for Star CJ Alive's future growth.

Who is the main target audience for Star CJ Alive?

Our main target audiences are people who would like to buy branded products from the convenience of their homes. It's a step towards our goal of transforming lifestyles - we aim to convince the consumer that our channel is an enjoyable, trustworthy and extremely convenient alternative to his / her current shopping modes.

What promotional strategy has the channel adopted this year?

We are adopting a 360 degree approach to reach out to our audience. We have planned a number of events to increase our brand presence and connect with the audience. We will strategically go into Tier 1 and 2 cities such as Pune, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Surat, Nagpur and Chandigarh. We would like to increase the footprint of STAR CJ brand in these cities to get more visibility for the channel.

How important are on-ground activations for Star CJ alive?

Currently, we are growing and we want to grow more every day. Thus, we are focusing on on-ground activities which will help us engage with our consumers directly and give them an experience of STAR CJ.

For us, it is important to get in touch with the actual consumers or prospective consumers. Our on-ground marketing activities are meant to reach our key target audience in an environment where the consumer is most receptive to brand communication.

What kinds of activities are held on-ground? What on-ground activations have been organized by the channel so far?

We are planning to carry out various activities at Star CJ Alive service areas. We have been conducting lots of RWA activities in Mumbai and NCR, We have also started community centric events such as a Gujarati Food Festival in Mumbai and Punjabi Food Festival in NCR. We currently have a tie-up with 23 Cinemax Multiplexes and a couple of offline retail outlets to carry out our ground level events at their premises. We conduct regular Personality Contests at Inter College Fests. We were associated with a special event for Holi on March 13, 20 and 26 for all the members of three major clubs in Mumbai.

What on-ground activations are planned in the coming future? When and where will they be held? What markets are targeted?

Currently I am not in a position to share our future plans. However, let me tell you that we will roll out future plans in a carefully calibrated manner so as to ensure that the company's fulfillment capabilities are not overwhelmed by the consumer response.

Do you work with just one particular event agency for the execution of on- ground events? Which is the agency? If not, how do you choose the agency?

We believe in partnerships and would ideally like to stay with an agency that understands our business and is able to execute the on-ground activities properly.

We select an agency on the basis of their past experience and the kind of complex activities they have done. Most importantly, it is the passion and understanding that they have of our company and its activities and services.

What is the marketing budget Star CJ Alive has allotted for its on-ground initiatives this year?

Unfortunately, due to company policy, we cannot share such information. However, we do spend a fairly good amount on activation and alliances.