A Study on Korean culture expressed in advertisement,

Chung Hyun-Shon(Major in Visual communication art, Graduate school of Kookmin University, Advised by professor faun Ho-Sup)

By analyzing the contents and expression of advertisement, the aspect of society can be arranged.

This study is aimed to suggest a direction for the expression of Korean culture, through investigating the cases of successful advertising campaigns and analyzing the contents of Korean culture expressed in advertisements.

The investigation & research have been made through printed media, focusing on the advertisements ranging from Sep, 1991 to Sep., 1992.

The products of investigated advertisements have been centered on the high-involvement products.

Of successful advertising campaigns, I have made a study of the expression of Korean culture which can be easily communicated to the Koreans, focusing on the advertisements of three products - "Orion Chocopie : Share with emotion together", "Samsung Hit laundry machine : Couple Series" - in which Korean culture was expressed as a theme.

Through investigating and analyzing advertisements, the results can be summarized as follows '

One is that the advertisings in which Korean culture is present stand at 27.9 percent of all the advertisings researched in this study and the advertisings which represent foreign culture mark 72.19 percent.

Therefore, the number of the advertisings where foreign culture is present is equivalent to 2.5 times that of the advertisings where Korean culture is represented.

Second is that the collective advertisements which represent Korean culture are 2.5 times as many as individualistic advertisements in number.

Third is that Korean culture represented in advertisements can be classified as three aspects : <domesticity>, <Confucianideas>, <partnership>.

Fourth is that the advertisings which represent the culture of materials mark 9.3 percent and those which represent behavioral or mental culture stand at 89percent of all the advertisements which manifest Korean culture.

In other words, the number of the advertisings in which behavioral or mental culture was emphasized was incomparably great when compared with that of the advertisings which lay stress on materialistic culture.

Fifth is that among the three aspects of Korean culture, advertisers lay the biggest Stress on "domesticity" and "Confucian ideas" is next to it.

Sixth is that the characteristics of Korean culture varies with the nature of the product.

For example, in the advertisement of electric appliances for home, "domesticity", "non-individuality" and "life style "are emphasized.

In the car advertisement, "non-individuality" and "authoritative factor" manifest themselves.

In the nutrient advertising, expressions such as "life style" "Creatures" and "filial duty" can easily be seen.

In the advertising of the individualistic products, the number of "authoritative" and "courtery displaying" expressions is greater than in other products.

And the seventh is that among the factors of advertisements, the culture analysis ability of advertisement producers is critical for the success of the advertisement.

This was proved to be true after analysing the advertisements which represent Korean culture.

In other words, as advertising designers, they must have

administrative ability of visual factors.

Moreover, they must be able to select cultural materials and contents which are estimated to be suitable for the nature of products as well as consumers and express them properly.