Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

The year seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. The season of joy and giving is here again! Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, Christmas has never been a big part of my life. For many, you’d probably spend the entire year anticipating this wonderful day. However, for me, it was not until two weeks ago when I received an email invitation to a Christmas party in my mailbox. And I thought, why not? Hosted by our client, Servcorp Malaysia, Christmas came rather early this year for Orchan as Farrell and I joined the team at the party for a fun, fulfilling time. Most times, we visit Servcorp for the usual work-related matters. Nonetheless, it was absolutely an exclusive experience this time round as we finally spend some good, personal time to catch-up (network) with the Servcorp clients and team members. “Rock Like the Beatles” Christmas Party Theme The quintessential thematic setting in the swanky, elegant Servcorp suites at Ilham Tower alongside the compani...

So often in Public Relations, the expectation is that we take a client, then pitch their story to the media. It’s generally how it works, but it’s not always that was. Sometimes, the media come to us! Part of the symbiotic relationship with journalists and editors, many who become personal friends in this industry, is when they have a story idea, but need a client to make it flourish. In many cases, for us as PR people, that may not be an actual client, but someone within our broader network of friends and contacts. Someone who fits the bill, would greatly value some prized publicity; ultimately connecting people together. Paid or not, its just part of the process. When one of our favourite writers talked with us about a Chinese New Year story she wanted to do a few years back, we didn’t have clients in the Chinese F&B sector at the time. But, a personal friend, Chef Dave Looi, was expanding his empire, having recently set-up shop in Kuala Lumpur; so we simply joined the d...

Ever wonder why Maccas always tries to sell you fries? Well, here’s the answer: “The bump, upsell, or cross-sell are ways of expanding the existing purchase of a client. Bumps are usually lower priced products or services and are related to the purchase already being made. They take very little effort to implement and can substantially increase your bottom line over time. To understand just how much they can raise your profits, consider how McDonald’s raised theirs back in the 1970s. Marketers looked at the profit and loss statements of one of their largest franchisers who owned ten restaurants.  They realised that one of their most popular menu items, French fries, were not being ordered by 200 customers per day, per store.  So, they came up with a very simple solution.  They had cashiers merely start asking customers if they wanted fries in addition to their order. You know what happened?  Half of the customers said yes!  At that time, French fries co...

“Can I just steal one of th-” “No, Ben. Those are meant for the media an-” “But there aren’t any spare ones left!” “Exactly, because we’re not supposed to have-” “Just one?” “NO” In conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year, where families celebrate togetherness – whilst city-dwellers such as myself celebrate precious days of utopian traffic, SCS had prepared new recipes of an assortment of artisanal cookies. The household brand has been spreading joy and delight through their dairy products for over 111 years, and is the preferred choice of many, including my father – which by definition, meant that SCS butter is the only acceptable butter at home. Although traditional treats have served myriads of families and guests over the centuries, recent baking trends are increasingly being centered on unique baked goods. This is not to say that new recipes are there to supplant the veteran delicacies, but rather to highlight the creativity and ingenuity of SCS...

Sometimes in this job, we get to do the most unusual and amazing of things. It’s one of the reasons I love the industry so much, and thrive on the vastly different array of clients that come through our doors, seeking counsel, strategic support, and of course, ‘fame’ (well, publicity). CodeAr.my was one such project. Originally named ‘Work Pad’ (not very exciting, right?), CodeAr.my was a huge collaborative effort between entrepreneurs, designers, coders, a PR Company, and a few external agencies. The concept behind CodeAr.my – seeking employment opportunities for Malaysian graduates on a global stage. The rationale – quality graduates, available to deliver world-class outcomes for clients, but need the chance. CodeAr.my was a platform. It connected those seeking work in the broader technology industry, with those needing freelancers (and more) in the industry to support projects. The platform facilitated introductions, kept track of communications, milestones, payment...