Where words are exchanged between people, the advertisements of Creative Director Seon Gyeong Jang are always present. Her advertisements, crafted with the vibrant language she discovered through conversations with people, gently pose the questions of our time and offer answers we can laugh about together. From Nonghyup’s ‘ The Value of Togetherness’ and Jung Kwan Jang’s holiday campaigns to Kanu and Albamon, she has collaborated with brands over many years, sensing the emotions of changing times. She observes people, unearths stories, records the stirrings of the heart, and gathers and reimagines the language of her era.

A child who loves people grows into an adult who connects hearts.

“I was friends with everyone in school”, Ms. Jang said with a smile when we first met. It might sound like a joke, but that simple statement captures her true nature. She is someone who loves people, draws strength from relationships, and isn’t afraid to learn new things. Her tendency to fully immerse herself in whatever she does, whether it’s calligraphy or hand-painting, was clear from an early age. “I was praised for my handwriting, so I thought, ‘Why not learn more?’ And that’s how I started calligraphy”, she recalled. “It was the same impulse that led me to earn a word processing certificate in sixth grade. I didn’t really need it at that age, but if something piqued my interest, I just had to try it.’”

She majored in Korean Language and Literature and first encountered advertising through a club dur-ing her college years. “I joined the advertising team simply because they looked like they were having fun,” she recalled. What left a lasting impression on her at the time was an SK Telecom advertisement. “It was so refreshing to see telecommunications being directed toward people,” she said. “It wasn’t about the technology, it was an ad that spoke to emotions.”

After graduating and working at an advertising agency, she felt a desire to learn in a more systematic way. That’s when she enrolled in the Graduate School of Journalism at Korea University. “I studied what I wanted to study when I wanted to study it, so I worked really hard,” she said. “Thanks to my practical experience, the theories I learned in class felt immediately relevant.” During that time, both her dedication to learning and the depth of her relationships grew. “I was part of a campus couple at the Graduate School of Journalism, studying with my senior, who’s now my husband, at the Main Li-brary. I don’t know why, but I was always able to concentrate so well there, maybe because of the stu-dents’ energy. Maybe that’s why I still miss that place.”

Capturing hearts and staying in step with the times.

Advertising is both a record of the times and something that makes you feel those times. The brands that Ms. Jang has led for many years include ‘Jung Kwan Jang’ and ‘Kanu.’ ‘”Jung Kwan Jang’s holi-day advertisements are always a source of reflection,” she says. The perception of family and holidays has changed so much over the years.

“Messages like, ‘Please go visit your parents during the holidays,’ can now easily feel outdated,” Jang says. “Instead, it’s about expressing something like, ‘I’m grateful to you, Mom.’ Not by lecturing, but by touching the heart. It naturally evokes the feeling of, ‘That’s right, I’ve felt that way too.’”

“This kind of work can’t be done just by sitting at a desk,” she says. On the subway, on the bus, or scrolling through social media, she’s always observing, taking notes, and reflecting. “I constantly pay attention to the words people use and how they speak. I don’t just let it pass by. I make an effort to imprint it in my mind and think, ‘I need to use this next time.’”

“In 2024, the Albamon advertising campaign, ‘Albam as Albamon, Albam-yea this summer,’ born from this very mindset, won multiple awards, including the Grand Prize in the TV Video Series cate-gory at the Korea Advertising Awards, the Gold Prize in the Online Video Series category at the Seoul Creative Awards, and Advertisement of the Year in the TV Advertisement category from the Korea Advertising Society.” “The responses, across generations and genders, were overwhelmingly positive. ‘It’s great,’ ‘The cop-ywriter deserves an award,’ ‘I’ll keep watching this.’ In this day and age, it’s rare to create a campaign that resonates with everyone,” she reflected.

An advertiser’s sense must always remain fresh and current

“What kind of content do people like right now?“ Ms. Jang is still constantly asking, exploring, and observing. She keeps up with new releases on YouTube, Netflix, TVing, Disney+, and more, even checking viewers’ reactions. “I don’t just stop at watching, I try to read between the lines to see when people respond,” she explains. Recently, K-pop artist Jennie’s album caught her attention. “When you look at the artists she’s collaborating with, you can see she’s positioning herself not just as a K-pop singer, but as a global pop star. It’s a complete shift.”

To stay open to new ideas, she makes a point of respecting her team members’ sensibilities, regardless of age or seniority. “These days, people in their 20s and 30s live in completely different cultural spheres,” she says. “I can’t know everything on my own. That’s why it’s so important to observe and learn from one another within the team.’”

Strive to be someone who follows through to the very end.

What are the most important skills for creativity in advertising? She points to ‘an interest in people,’ ‘a positive attitude,’ and ‘depth of immersion’ as the key qualities needed to become an outstanding advertiser. “People who delve deeply into what they love eventually develop their own perspectives,” she explains. “For example, a junior on my team is a copywriter with a real passion for music. He weaves music into his ads, and when he collaborates with audio producers, his unique tastes come through. Whatever it may be, I hope he gains plenty of experience creating stories that are truly his own.”

Can a single advertisement move a person’s heart? Ms. Jang’s work quietly proves that it can with an approach that focuses on understanding people over time, conveying empathy rather than simply of-fering the ‘right’ answers, evoking emotions rather than relying on technique, and never losing sight of the pathways to the heart. Her creativity always begins from that place of care. The moment someone says, ‘Have you seen that ad?’ and it resonates, spreading from heart to heart, the campaign gains real power. Her journey to create ads that everyone can connect with, rooted in the belief that advertising is ultimately about people, continues to this day.

SPECIAL: For aspiring advertisers: A career Q&A with Jang Seon-gyeong, Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide Inc.

Q1. What do you find most challenging about working in advertising?
A. Every day brings its own challenges. People’s interests and reactions change so quickly that even missing a single day makes me feel like I’m falling behind. That’s why I try not to let myself grow complacent. It may sound simple, but the most important thing is to keep observing.

Q2. How do you stay on top of trends and maintain a sense of relevance?
A. I watch content obsessively, music, fashion, dramas, entertainment, YouTube, even online commu-nities. I check it out whenever I have time, even when I’m on the go. But I don’t just look at what people are consuming. I try to understand why they react to it. I don’t just watch, I observe.

Q3. How do you gather feedback from people in real campaigns?
A. I collect a lot of hashtags and comments. Especially in campaigns where emotions play a key role, like holiday advertising, we closely analyze the words people use to express their feelings on social media and what triggers their reactions. That’s where the seeds of ideas truly come from.

Q4. How would you recommend I begin training to create content?
A. Use your own social media as a platform, not just to share your daily life, but as a space to organize your thoughts and showcase your tastes. If you do this consistently, you’ll eventually build a portfolio. It’s a great way to practice your language and style.

Q5. Are there any exercises you would recommend for new advertisers?
A. It’s about diving deep into your own tastes. If you love music, attend festivals abroad. If you’re passionate about movies, visit theaters all over the country. The experiences you accumulate this way become your own unique perspective.

Q6. Lastly, what has been the most memorable moment for you since becoming an advertiser?
A. The most memorable moment was when the copy I wrote caught on and became a popular expres-sion. For example, I used the phrase ‘The Value of Togetherness’ in a Nonghyup campaign, and it became a catchphrase for many brands and people. Perhaps the greatest achievement an advertiser can have is creating phrases that stick in people’s minds.

""Isn't it ultimately a person's words that move another's heart first? ""