Christina Yu got her first gig in a creative department in 1999, and made CD a mere six years later. She began her career art-directing campaigns for clients like Frito-Lay, FedEx and Flow 93.5 (remember the hip-hop ad that featured a hand subtly giving the finger?) at Taxi and BBDO before joining Lowe Roche in 2005 as creative director at only 28. She has won more than 100 awards, and her work was shortlisted for two Cyber Lions and a Titanium Lion at Cannes this year. As well, she has been instrumental in exploring new ways to connect with consumers, like social networks, digital media and CRM.
Yu’s campaign for the Toronto Zoo’s Dinosaurs Alive show included a website where visitors could help raise a baby dino, and spots in which mermaids, tooth fairies and leprechauns debate the existence of dinosaurs, after which animatronic monsters arrive with the tagline, ‘Believe it.’
‘Christina is a big-idea thinker who can work in any media and absolutely gets where this business is going,’ says nominator/colleague Scot Keith. ‘And while many senior creative people look down on so-called ‘below-the-line’ media, Christina embraces it. We’ve shot more film for the web in the past six months than we have for TV. She knows that a big idea isn’t really a big idea if it’s only in traditional media.’
Yu says she gets charged up by the freedom to employ multiple media. ‘What’s most important to me is problem solving,’ she says, ‘and we have the capability to do everything from interactive to package design, so whatever the client’s challenges are, we’re able to give them the proper solutions and not feel limited.’
Yu is currently working on a new campaign for Flow 93.5, which is changing its format. ‘We’re going to be doing outdoor as well as helping them with their website, and maybe even T-shirts and promotional things, just to make sure everything ties in together,’ she says.
Keith says Yu has inspired her team by example: ‘You just know she’s going to bring back amazing creative that’s super-strategic, and an incredible breakthrough media idea. It’s rubbed off on our creative teams, and we’re on a great roll because of it.’
