In our Young Changemakers series of conversations, we get under the skin of the three regional winners of the PRovoke Media & WE Communications Young Changemakers Award – our annual award celebrating young women from underrepresented background in the PR and communications industry.

We uncover what they see as the greatest challenges and opportunities for the industry, where they find inspiration (and how they switch off), what they’ve learned about themselves, as well as the creative campaigns they love and the work they are most proud of.

In this first Q&A, we speak to Retroviral’s Mei Lee, the winner of the APAC/MEA Young Changemakers Award for 2024.

Lee’s love affair with illustration led her to the creative industries, where she has worked as a multimedia designer in above-the-line and below-the-line arenas. She has brought her creativity to her work with South African and global brands, from Coca-Cola, Castle Lager and Blue Ribbon to trusted institutions such as Nedbank and South African Tourism.

Most notably, Lee played a role in the launch of Lil-Let's internationally-acclaimed brand campaign, ‘Be You. Period’. She currently heads up the creative team at Retroviral as head of design.

What are the greatest challenges and opportunities for the PR and communications industry over the next 12 months?

Embracing AI as an integral part of our lives is an inevitable shift for the PR and communications industry to remain relevant. As Mo Gawdat aptly put it, “AI will not take your job (in the next few years), a human using AI will.” Earned and social media exist in a symbiotic cycle where the virality of a brand piece is determined by how unified the storytelling is, not just the brand messaging. Clients’ constrained budgets push marketers and advertisers to really explore and create unconventional, compelling content that resonates.

What’s the best PR campaign you’ve seen recently and why?

Cerveza Poker and AB InBev addressed the challenging issues within Colombia's pension system by creating the Beer Retirement Account, a direct pension account for shopkeepers that has transformed their future. Shopkeepers can now accumulate points every time they purchase Poker for their businesses. These points can be converted into funds for their pension accounts. This campaign hit home for me as I’m also a daughter of shopkeepers, and retirement is a lifestyle my family is currently unable to afford. This campaign showed that with collaboration and creativity, the potential to change people’s futures is not unattainable.

What work from your team are you most proud of over the past year?

We’ve continued the narrative built from Lil-Let’s Be You, Period, launching Join the Non-App life, a through-the-line campaign focused on non-applicator tampons, this purpose-driven work reminds us there’s no shame around periods and encourages us to give period plastic the finger. Through multiple strategically selected digital touchpoints and targeted retail communication, the campaign helped to bring the conversation about menstruation and the unfair policing over female bodies by the patriarchy out into the open.

What have you learned about yourself over the past couple of years?

Three things: I’m a low key plant mom, and a surprisingly pretty decent one at that. We’re not saving lives; switching off my phone won’t result in an apocalypse. And no one has all the answers. The key is to keep moving forward; two brains are always better than one.

How do you switch off and maintain wellness?

I’d like to say that tending to my thriving mini greenhouse keeps me sane. But in truth, as someone who’s struggled with mental health and well-being for years, I’ve made an effort to do some form of exercise twice a week and therapy at least once a month. That’s not to say I don’t fall down the rabbit hole of TikTok scrolling or reading copious amounts of novels every other day.

What cultural source (eg book/podcast/movie/TV show/music artist) has provided creative inspiration for you lately?

I really enjoyed Sex Education – it’s a coming-of-age romantic dramedy that brilliantly uses sex as a means to explore human connection and intimacy, with sex stories serving as a context for deeper emotional moments. I also recently read a blog article, ‘Why Advertising’s Gone to Sh*t’ by Dan Mace, a thoughtful and insightful look at where marketing and advertising currently sit versus the potential it could achieve, and a deep reflection of his years as a creative.

If I wasn’t working in PR/comms I would be…

As someone whose first love was anime, I’d probably have continued to pursue something in the anime and manga industry, whether as an artist or a producer, definitely something there!