Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

2021: HOLD MY BEER! Since 2020 Threw Everyones Crisis Playbook Out the Window   I wrote this initial commentary a year ago.  Reflecting on an 'unknown' that fast became a reality, causing all forms of crisis and 'emergency' situations for businesses everywhere. While 2020 posed new challenges, especially as brands grappled with new modes of operation, channels and forms of communication, and general uncertainty; 2021 was hoped to be the long awaited return to normality. Now, 2022 has that honour, as the 2021 'sh1tstorm' really did say "hold my beer" and unraveled even more uncertainty for brand guardians, and reinforced the need for crisis planning, business continuity planning, and the like.  But something was different!  The fact that we had at least eight (8) month experience of the situation, started to bring certainty into our equation. New lockdowns were "repeat events" - brands had been through it before and were more equipped to r...

Conference Throwback | Communication & Collaboration Not everything we do at Orchan is about the clients; sometimes it involves the broader community, and not just from a CSR perspective. Farrell and I are keen speakers, and we relish opportunities to share our experiences, perspectives, and mindsets with others. We give Guest Lecturers, we attend Conferences. All part of the broader ‘job’ so to speak. Six (6) years ago this week, we were invited to present at an International Conference on Communication in Jakarta. An easy accept for us, especially as we love Jakarta, have many friends there (including a couple of former staff, who are now trail-blazing their way through the Indonesian communications industry). But more than that, it was an important opportunity for us to share our viewpoints on Crisis Management; more specifically, Crisis Management and Communications in the Digital Age. Extracting some resources from our earlier guest lectures and corporate train...

Up in the Air ( or Not )? At 5c / $ we can only show you a scale model! Happy flying! The past few weeks have seen some interesting moves by those with vested interests in the Air Asia X "Refund-gate" saga; from the airline, Mavcom, disgruntled customers (both through the courts and outside of), and the general public passing judgement. In light of a very interesting "veiled threat" issued by the airline yesterday through a media interview, Orchan Director Dr Craig J Selby decided to synthesise the current happenings surrounding this issue, in a shopt 'opinion video'. Sit back, enjoy, and let us know what you think about the whole scenario. 

Instinctively, Fake? If it’s too good to be true, or your gut instinct says “hang on, that doesn’t seem right”, chances are you have spotted a piece of fake news. But sometimes, the fake news is so convincing that even rudimentary fact checking doesn’t ‘out’ it instantly.   We’ve ‘borrowed’ the following from Marketing-Interactive (something for their upcoming conference), as it’s a great resource to highlight some of the basics of identifying fake news. Thanks guys for the cool resource, and for the conference too.   ----------     Fake news has been with us for as long as news has been in existence, yet the vitriol for it spiked in recent years.  In a day and age where everyone can easily report and livestream something newsworthy with their phone cameras; citizen journalism, unfortunately, also helps those with malicious intent to promulgate mis/disinformation.   We work in the media industry so we like to study why they remain s...

When it comes to communication, do you side with the Grammar Police, or are you more of a “close enough, lah” kind of person? For years, we’ve had this tug-of-war with clients, team members, and even ourselves: Some want perfection  - every comma in its rightful place, every word polished to textbook glory (even if it risks alienating certain audiences). Others push for accessibility  - plain language, local flavour, and an easy read that gets the point across, even if the Oxford dictionary clutches its pearls. So… which camp are you in? At Orchan, we believe the answer isn’t black or white. As communicators, our real job is making sure the message lands: clear, relatable, and appropriate for the audience in front of us. But hey, we also think standards matter. Language may be fluid, but that doesn’t mean we throw the rulebook completely out the window. It’s a balancing act: accuracy keeps credibility intact, while adequacy ensures inclusivity and impact. The ques...

A Micro-Personal Approach to PR? Whether we are doing Public Relations or Advertising, we generally assume that our targets are cohorts - be those demographic or psychographic - the common denominator being 'groups' of potential stakeholders that we want to reach out to. Over time, technology has ensured that we can better target these groups, by leveling-up on the criterion we wish to distinguish them by. But it seems, for Facebook at least, that this is not yet enough. Rather than personalised communications, we now have the opportunity for individualised communication. Whilst the following article calls it 'advertising', the technique applies equally to public relations initiatives too, and is something that may emerge as a tool in our collective arsenals in to the future. Potentially great for targeting high net worth individuals; the only issue - do they use Facebook still? Whilst the interest may amass, and potential benefits may start to shine through, there is a...

Direction & Change If the last eighteen months has taught us anything, it is that not all change is positive. Regardless, we have to embrace the changes that we face as a business, and find ways to work within new parameters to continue to thrive.  Not all do sadly, but that too, is part of change.

SEA:change Starts Here!   Last week, we unofficially launched the SEA:change initiative; Orchan’s little corner on the mediaspace.global platform.   SEA:change is a discussion forum and events platform to share broader communications and media industry happenings from the region, both with locals and those further afield. It was great to see so many participants from a variety of locations and positions of expertise join us for both our fireside chat and the networking.   Emmanuel Samaratisa, Executive Editor of The Vibes joined Orchan co-founder Farrell Tan for a no-holds-barred talk on Journalism, Business, Politics and Media Ownership. Whilst in 90 minutes we can only scratch the surface, there were some fantastic questions and discussion points from the attendees too, exploring a wide range of issues of media in Malaysia and the region. Discussion topics covered ranged from understanding the impact of Covid in SouthEast Asia, to specific pandemic-induced...

Back in May 2018, Kao Malaysia brought Parenthood Day to life at Sunway Pyramid with an event that perfectly captured the joys - and challenges - of modern parenting. Designed for both new and seasoned parents, Kao’s campaign, #TheSecretToMyModernParenthood , was part of their larger “Welcome to My Modern Parenthood” initiative. The goal? To create an engaging, educational platform for parents to explore how to navigate parenthood with confidence, less stress, and a touch of fun. The spotlight was on three of Kao’s family-friendly solutions:  Merries, Attack, and Magiclean,  all household names trusted by parents. The campaign also highlighted an important trend: more fathers stepping up in childcare and household roles, reshaping what modern parenting looks like today. Mr Fujiwara, President of Kao (Malaysia) launching the campaign with some children. To drive the message home, an imitation house - complete with kitchen, laundry, and bedroom - was set up on stage to...

Video | Crisis Communications & Cyber Threat The Orchan team has a strong interest in Crisis Communications. We offer consultancy, development, and training in the niche, and have helped many businesses locally and regionally to develop robust strategies for handling crises effectively. We are also keen supporters of PRCA (SEA), and last week, enjoyed their open access panel dialogue on Crisis Management. Their slant on the topic, 'Cyber Threats', was refreshing, and increasingly important in a pandemic-pivoted world. Whilst the issues and approaches are consistent with most typical crisis scenarios, many brands overlook the impact that cyber threats can contribute during their crisis planning stages. Have a listen to the session recording, and glean some important nuggets for yourself. Do reach out to the Orchan team if you'd like an assessment (audit) of your current crisis planning documentation and structures, or would like to initiate a crisis management pla...

Exploring Intricacies in Crisis Communication Through Social Media | PRCA Training If you’re new to Public Relations, you should learn about the world’s largest Professional PR body, the Public Relations and Communications Association. PRCA aims to raise standards in the PR and Communications industry by sharing industry data, information, and best practices, as well as creating networking opportunities. They represent consultancies around the world, including hundreds of individual and freelance PR and communication practitioners.  Orchan is associated with PRCA’s regional headquarters in Singapore, through which Orchan’s Director, Dr Craig J Selby, ran sessions for them as part of their professional development and outreach initiatives to help their members gain exposure to areas of the industry that they may not normally be involved in at work. The first session Craig facilitated for PRCA was a full day session on “Social Media Crisis Communication”. The session was a profession...

Students | Why Choose PR? Students and potential interns often ask us about our broader industry. One of the most frequently asked questions over the years has been "why should I choose PR"?  Well, the answer is, PR chooses you!  OK, kidding (a bit), because there are many related industry segments that someone can find themselves in. Farrells Frank discussion isn't going to give you an answer, but it will contextualise your choice and decision framework for you.

SEA:change | Orchan Announces Collaboration with Mediaspace.global   Earlier today, the Orchan team proudly announced our collaboration with Mediaspace.global, a professional social network targeting the media, marketing, tech and regulation industries. This partnership facilitates Mediaspace.global entering the South East Asian landscape through a strategic arrangement driven by us at Orchan, enabling quality industry-specific networking within the region through the platform and its unique initiatives.   The Mediaspace.global platform encourages industry people at all levels to interact, share, and leverage opportunities and thought leadership. It offers members the freedom to connect with like-minded individuals to explore industry trends, and covers members from fresh graduates in the industry (Next Gen) through to seasoned industry members in the platform’s coveted Leadership Club.   Our plans for mediaspace.global in Asia are hosted under the banner SEA:...

Here’s the truth: PR isn’t just about writing clever lines. It’s about stories with substance - and those stories live with our clients. We can draft the slickest press release on the planet, but if the details arrive late or half-baked, it’s just words in a PDF. The media won’t care, and the moment’s gone. That’s why we train our clients. Not to make them publicists (that’s our gig) but to give them a behind-the-scenes look at how PR actually works. When clients understand newsroom deadlines, campaign timing, and what really makes a story newsworthy, everything runs smoother. Our sessions cover the essentials: Why “one day late” often means “story dead.” How to spot what’s genuinely media-worthy. The nuts and bolts of a strong release (so they know what info matters most). The payoff? Less chasing, faster turnarounds, and campaigns that actually land. At the end of the day, it’s not about teaching clients to do our jobs. It’s about helping them help us tell their stor...

Fashion Exists Outside of Kuala Lumpur; in Fact, it Thrives! Bran et Daguet is a high-end exclusive fashion line established in Penang by designer Brandon Tan. Specialising in elegantly cut cocktail dresses and occasion-wear, they are made of fabrics mostly imported from Europe, ensuring quality couture. With a mission to supply high quality elegant clothes, Bran et Daguet mostly caters to limited editions of   no more than one piece of each design, in maximum of three sizes. Brandon Tan, the designer behind Bran et Daguet is an exceptional designer who gives character to all his designs. A tease to fashionistas, his collections offer eloquently designed and stunningly presented couture and ready-to-wear pieces for discerning clientele. His eye for detail and design can be seen in his line – chic, stylish and elegant. A Penangite at heart, Brandon has been in love with fashion from his formative years. Taking up sewing and learning the foundation of his craf...