By Lee Chang-hoon
PL/Brand management at SK Holdings


As media consumers are increasingly exposed to floods of information, advertisers are doubling their efforts to catch their attention in the severely competitive ad market.

One effective way to differentiate from other brands is to help consumers associate the brand with art. By linking the brand with an excellent piece of art, the advertisement can improve the brand’s credibility and consumer trust.


This year, SK Holdings sought collaboration with Noma Bar, an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist, to give a visual edge to its ad campaign OK! SK. Our collaboration with the artist was the first-of-its-kind in Korea.

He is known for cleverly using negative space to create thought-provoking illustrations, based on his principle of achieving the maximum level of communication through the minimum use of materials. 


Under the slogan “We will do it. OK! SK,” the ad campaign showed the company’s desire and effort to contribute to the Korean economy with SK’s key growth businesses such as semiconductor materials, biopharmaceuticals, new energy and information and communications technology.

Using a question mark, the Korean national flag and a door, the ad focused on expressing dual meanings through a simple but impressive image. The ad also made use of three strong colors -- black, white and red -- to achieve visual effects. Such a radical approach -- rarely used in other corporate public relations initiatives -- resulted in higher marks in evaluation by consumers.

Through the long-running campaign OK! SK, SK Holdings will keep making every effort to try new approaches in advertising. Consequently, we hope to expand the scope of our corporate public relations and creative newspaper advertisements.

I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the readers and staff of The Korea Herald for granting us the honor of receiving the grand prize. Thank you.