Besides being a winner of numerous international awards as a copywriter in South Korea, Hyunjae Yu has been called an “excellent teacher” by his advisor, Advertising and Public Relations Professor Karen King. Hyunjae—or Jay—has developed advertising for clients like Samsung, Korea Telecom, Pizza Hut, Hyundai Motor Company, E-Machines, Michiko-London and many others while working for agencies like Bates Worldwide and Cheil Communications. Now he uses his professional expertise to teach a class in advertising message strategy at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. After graduation, he hopes to become an advertising professor and researcher in the United States.
Hometown:
Seoul, South Korea
High School:
Daeshin High School
Degree objective:
Ph.D. in Advertising
Other degrees:
M.A., Advertising & Public Relations, University Of Georgia, 2004
B.A., Japanese Studies, INHA University, South Korea, 1996
Expected graduation:
August 2007
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
Since August 2003, I have been the recipient of a competitive graduate assistantship in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I have also won numerous awards as an advertising copywriter including having been a finalist in the magazine ads category in the London Advertising Festival in 2002. Additionally, I made the short list as a copywriter of newspaper ads in the 2002 Time Asia Pacific Advertising Awards. I was a finalist in the magazine ads category in the 2002 Swiss Advertising Awards, and I won “Best Branding Campaign” as the copywriter on the Korea Telecom account at the World Communication Awards in 2001.
Current Employment:
Since Spring 2005, I have taught ADPR 3110: Advertising Message Strategy in the Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…I heard a lot of good things about UGA from alumni who I knew in Korea. They all said that I would never regret my choice…never. They were right. I am so happy studying at UGA. The best part is the general warmth of the people. In my country, we don’t say hello when we meet a stranger on the street because they are “strangers.” But, it’s different when you look at the people around the UGA campus. Whenever we meet, whomever we meet…they give a wonderful smile and ask how are you even though we may not know each other. I was embarrassed the first time that happened, but now I say hello and smile for people very naturally. I love people, and I love being here.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…go to the Ramsey Center. I go there at least four times a week. There are not only great opportunities to exercise, but it’s also a good place to meet new people. I like to play basketball, racquetball, go rock climbing and…my favorite, workout. My time spent at Ramsey gives me a lot of energy to study, keeps me healthy, and I lost 30 pounds after coming to UGA!
When I have free time, I like…
…looking for good examples of advertisements across all kinds of media. Since I teach an advertising message strategy class, I think it is important to help the students develop an eye for creativity in advertising. Many students who are interested in the creative side of advertising are taking my class, and they all hope to eventually work at jobs related to advertising creativity—jobs such as copywriters, graphic designers, or producers. Even though my background as a copywriter has been very helpful to provide information about creativity in advertising, the up-to-date trends and real advertisements in use today are better than any textbook.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…spend $200 for my new bike when I came to Athens 3 years ago. I thought I could ride my great, new bike to go to class. However, I could not because there are a lot of hills on the UGA campus. I should have checked first. I sold that bike for $50 after two weeks.
My favorite place to study is…
…my desk in the carrel for doctoral students at the Grady College. Even though it’s noisy due to several colleagues who share the space, it is great for me to study in that environment. We not only study our own research interests, but also exchange information from academic conferences and recent trends in academic research. Also, since last semester my students have come to my office to ask questions related to the class, and I enjoy working with them.
My favorite professor is…
…Karen King. She has been my advisor for three years, and I learned a lot from her about research, teaching and general college life. She also has been my counselor whenever I have doubts about my future or life after graduation. With thoughtful consideration, she has suggested many things for me. In addition to school life, she asks about my mother, who is living alone in Korea. Although my mother has not seen Dr. King, and she can’t speak English at all, she has told me that she appreciates that Dr. King is thinking about her.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…my father. He passed away when I was seven. Living without a father has not been easy. Even though my mother has tried to fill up the vacancy, I have always dreamed of spending more time with my father. I don’t have a lot of memories of my father, but I definitely remember that my father really loved me and my brother. I remember that we played soccer very often. If I could, I would play soccer with my father again.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… get an academic job in the U.S. I want to keep teaching classes related to advertising message strategy and to do academic research about advertising creativity and health communication.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…football games at Sanford Stadium. As we know, game day turns into a great party at UGA. My red #14 jersey (which is the legendary David Green’s number) is ready for every game day. Wherever I live after graduation, I will not forget this wonderful scene. Go Dawgs!!