Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Blast From The Past | When Size Matters: We Love Big Trucks Part of what we do at Orchan is meeting new people, and attending other events. This is one of the many facets of our respective jobs that keeps up the excitement, and spur us on to bigger and greater things. Most recently Farrell, Fithri and I (Craig) were invited to an event – a truck launch. It would be fair to say that we had no idea what we were in for, and expected a truck to be unveiled from behind a curtain. How wrong we were, and oh, how much fun we had.   Hino Malaysia did an awesome job of teaching us about trucks. We sat in for the initial Press Conference where speakers from the company, including their MD from Japan, stepped media friends through some pretty awesome videos about truck safety and performance. I’m used to this with cars – I did not realise just how much thought and detail went into trucks too. I was pumped. OK, correction, the three of us were.   Downstairs for the formal dinn...

Humans of Orchan | Farrell Tan  | The Story Continues   It’s been a while since I last wrote about myself - probably because I’ve already shared the “origin story” of how I stumbled into this industry (if you missed it, you can catch it here:  Humans of Orchan | Farrell Tan ("The Other Boss") . That was just before my 40th birthday. Fast forward a few years, and I find myself looking ahead - asking the inevitable “what’s next?” Orchan will always be my first “baby.” But like any restless parent, I started toying with the idea of having another. I bounced ideas off the team, leaned on mentors, swapped notes with friends who are disrupting the status quo, and watched clients push boundaries with ridiculous creativity. Yet nothing clicked. The truth is, ideas can’t be forced. They arrive when you least expect them - sometimes from the unlikeliest places. I guess this is where I introduce our new “baby”: The Third Degree. The idea had been floating around for years; Craig...

  Sustainable PR | It’s not just planting trees Since the establishment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), country leaders worldwide shape their nation building plans to achieve at least one of the seventeen (17) goals like SDG13 – Climate Action.   Businesses are not exempt from this global discussion of protecting the planet. In fact, numerous companies have shown their resolve to change their practices for the betterment of the environment – SP Setia developed housing complete with solar energy systems and green spaces, Panasonic offered energy efficient appliances to promote green living, and KFC processes their oil waste into biofuel.   Companies are gradually introducing new green initiatives incorporated in their offerings and business practices. By showing that their product has less negative impact to the environment, they catch the attention of many eco-advocates.   While some companies are making waves of change, some a...

Certain Planning for the Uncertain During the Covid pandemic, businesses have been looking into various ways to adapt; remote working, pivoting product & service offering, and simply surviving the onslaught of uncertainty. Between the connection problems and long pauses, businesses face many challenges during the pandemic such as tech-savvy rivals, unpredictable changes, and their employees’ work-life balance. How might a company make impactful decisions to solve these problems during uncertain times? In this segment, Orchan’s Founding Director, Farrell Tan, shares his opinion on how businesses can better plan their future, maintain brand loyalty, and make use of digital media.   How can businesses create an opportunity for themselves in a time of uncertainty? Uncertainty has always been a part of business, but in an economic downturn it seems to dominate everything. Today, no one is sure how long the lockdowns will last, how consumers will react, whether we’ll go back...

Video | Choosing a PR Agency  How do you choose a PR agency? For businesses, especially start-ups, hiring a Public Relations agency to help you build brand awareness can be more beneficial than you initially believe. Though, not many understand how to find the best match for their organization. In this video, Farrell shares factors clients should think about when selecting a PR agency.

Video | Consumer Trends Shaping the New Normal 2020 upended a lot of things; 2021 doesn't seem to be breaking the cycle all that much either.  So, what has changed? And what, prey tell, are the new trends or idiosyncrasies that we might be seeing. Check out Craig's short video looking at six key trends currently observable.  Next step, adapting your brand approach to embrace these.

Mahsuri for Culinary Permaisuris Officially launched at Rebung Restaurant, Bangsar in May 2014, Mahsuri is a regional first for sauce expert, Lee Kum Kee. Mahsuri is their first attempt to reach out to the Malay consumers. Its debut was made in Malaysia, followed by Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia; Mahsuri aims to become a staple of the Malay household, aiding cooks on their culinary pilgrimage while empowering them to chronicle their gastronomic discoveries. Certified by JAKIM, Mahsuri is wholly halal and has zero tolerance towards preservatives. As per their Suci Sejahtera axiom, Mahsuri’s soy sauces are made of non-genetically modified soy beans and all of Mahsuri’s products are available in all major retail outlets in Malaysia. Orchan was engaged by Lee Kum Kee to facilitate the public initiatives for the Mahsuri launch, celebrating the emergence of Asian piquancy that tickles the tip of the palate. Mahsuri Brand Ambassador, Shaheizy Sam and Mahsuri Regional Marke...

Twitter Activism | Can a Hashtag Bring Change? Commentary by Nadhirah Faris Hashtags have become a quick and convenient way for social media users to share new content on a similar topic. Recently, they have been used to bring awareness about social issues in hopes that more people will take notice of them.   In Malaysia, certain hashtags have been used to alert authorities about an on-going issue. When the country announced another Movement Control Order and limited restaurant operating hours, it brought on #SiBodohKauDengarSini (translates to ‘Listen here, you idiot’) as netizens argued on Twitter about food deliveries being cancelled.   What began as an expressive Twitter thread grew into a hashtag that was further shared by prominent figures like Lawyer Syah Redzan and Politician Syed Saddiq. Although there were countless complaints about the government’s decision to shorten restaurant operating hours, action has yet to be taken.   As of today, #SiBodohK...

Loyalty to Influencer Brands   When Daniel Wellington approached social media influencers and celebrities to help market its products, it quickly trended amongst consumers who wanted to be associated - in some small way - with their role models’ lifestyles. The power of both the influencer and social media is capable of changing consumer brand preference.   So, what happens when a product belongs to an influencer? E.g. brands like Kylie Cosmetics (Kylie Jenner), Ivy Park (Beyonce) Goop (Gwyneth Paltrow), dUCk scarves (Vivy Yusof) and Naelofar (Neelofa)? Not only do followers of the celebrities get direct information about the product but they get the same “lifestyle” as their favourite influencers.   The moment consumers get to say “Hey, I’m using a product from this famous celebrity’s brand,” they enter the influencer-follower community and become loyal to said brand. In turn, this builds a strong image for them.   The bigger the celebrity, the highe...

Cancel It, Now! Duh, No Thanks :) Mr Bean (aka Rowan Atkinson) very recently told Radio Times that  cancel culture  has become a digital mob "roaming the streets looking for someone to burn". The comic  actor said  cancel culture  had made it hard for people to be "exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion" and he was fearful for the future.   How do you view the role of cancel culture? Have we allowed things to be taken too far?

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