Hangeul Yoodle GTM
YouTube Korea
TEAM Brand Marketing
YEAR 2025
I was a... freelance producer working on project management, content production utilizing gen AI tools, and creative direcation.
Background 🇰🇷
To celebrate Hangeul Day (October 9), YouTube’s creative team designed a special "Yoodle" (YouTube Doodle). Inspired by the origins of the Korean alphabet and the calligraphic style of Hunminjeongeum, this marked a historic milestone as YouTube’s first-ever Yoodle design dedicated to a national language.
Brief
Asset to Activation. Take the Yoodle asset and build a holistic GTM strategy that would amplify the logo’s impact. Transform a fleeting, 24-hour design update into a resonant cultural celebration that drove positive brand sentiment and engagement across the market.
LIGHT MODE LOGODARK MODE LOGOHANGEUL YOODLE ON MOBILE APP
Execution & Role
Multi-channel rollout centered on three pillars:
Hero Content: Produced the brand video, utilizing Gen-AI tools to craft a visual narrative connecting the alphabet’s origins to modern creativity.
PR & Partnerships: Secured strategic collaborations with the National Hangeul Museum and Tier 1 media, landing an exclusive designer interview.
Social Activation: Partnered with Social team to execute the multi-channel rollout, driving engagement through curated playlists and localized creator content.
Brand Video
Celebrating Hangeul Day with YouTube’s special “Yoodle” in Korea! (with sound) on the YouTube Korea channel (Hangeul Day playlist)
Produced using Google’s Gen-AI tools (Veo 3, Flow, Gemini), this 20-second brand film extended the 24-hour Yoodle activation into a lasting digital asset. Visualizing Hangeul letters emerging from a traditional Ham box, the video connects the past to the present, positioning King Sejong’s creation of Hangeul as the original tool/foundation for self-expression—much like YouTube is for creators today. This framing celebrated Korean culture’s global rise by honoring the language that started it all, blending heritage with modern brand sentiment.
Development Process
Explored multiple rounds of motion & wind dynamics and box-opening timing for natural atmospheric depth and rhythmic balance.
Focused on accurately portraying cultural elements such as the Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음 해례본) engraving and najeonchilgi (나전칠기)-inspired design on the box (함). Keeping the promo logo intact throughout the AI-generated sequence proved more challenging than expected.
PROMO LOGO 3D ASSET (LEFT) COMPARISON TO THE ORIGINAL 2D LOGO (RIGHT)
🤔 Learnings1. AI isn't a shortcut yet. Avoiding glitches, hallucinations, and visual inconsistencies requires significant manual oversight and iteration, making the process labor-intensive, especially when handling culturally sensitive heritage elements.
2. Best for concepting, not finishing. Since even small edits can trigger full re-renders, AI excels at ideation but currently lacks the granular precision required to replace traditional production workflows.
3. Context matters. Audiences often equate "AI-generated" with "cheap"—both in terms of budget and creative effort. Success relies on strong narrative and transparent intent to counter this stigma and demonstrate actual artistic value.
4. Defining the rules. The entire industry—from studios to brands—is still navigating this evolving landscape. We are collectively learning how to balance technical potential with legal responsibility, ensuring these tools are used to enhance creativity rather than replace it.
🚀 Impact
Generated positive brand sentiment and widespread organic media pickups by positioning the launch as a moment of national pride and celebration. The Hangeul Day Playlist (with ~20 creator content and the Hangeul Museum partnerships) delivered immediate results:
YouTube (10 Posts): 3M+ Views / 76K+ Engagements
Instagram (7 Posts): 556K+ Impressions / 9K+ Engagements
*Performance measured over 4-day launch window
KOF Partnership: Co-branded Instagram carousel post with the National Hangeul Museum to extend cultural engagement beyond the platform.
Comms
Tier 1 Media Feature: Secured an exclusive interview in The JoongAng Ilbo with the Yoodle designers (Sui Lee, Wooyoung Kim). Published on Hangeul Day, the piece highlighted the "heritage meets innovation" narrative, reinforcing YouTube’s cultural credibility for its first language-themed design.
[Exclusive] “Something Looks Different on YouTube Today… Meet the Creator Behind the Logo that Would Amaze King Sejong”
PRINT & MOBILE