Performative or Purposeful? Decoding Brand Communication in Southeast Asia

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Picture this: A major Malaysian telco announces a flashy sustainability pledge on Earth Day; green filters, eco-hashtags, celebrity endorsement. Thousands of likes overnight. Weeks later, customers discover nothing has changed in their carbon-heavy operations. Cue viral thread, boycott calls, and corporate comms teams breaking into a cold sweat. Sound familiar? In Southeast Asia’s hyper-connected markets, “performative” moments aren’t just awkward - they’re career-enders.

Performative communication is smoke and mirrors; the virtue signaling without the virtue. The glossy press release that promises the world but can’t even deliver a paper straw. The diversity campaign launched for PR points, while the boardroom still looks like it’s stuck in 1985.

Purposeful communication? That’s the real deal. Stories rooted in intent, backed by action, delivered with consistency. And in a region where 25 million Malaysians (74% of the population) live online, the watchdogs aren’t asleep. One skeptical TikTok or WhatsApp rant can dismantle your brand trust faster than you can say “delete that tweet.”

This inaugural piece of our Orchestrating Authentic PR series unpacks performative pitfalls and shows how brands can trade empty noise for authentic storytelling in Asia.

Where the Word “Performative” Comes From

The term exploded in the West during the early 2020s, fuelled by critiques of “woke capitalism.” Brands slapped BLM logos on their feeds, promised climate heroics, then quietly went back to business-as-usual.

The roots go back to philosopher J.L. Austin’s idea of “performative utterances” - words that do things, like declare or promise. But in PR land, it got twisted into something else: words that pretend to do things while everyone watches the wheels spin.

And it matters because trust is leaking. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer shows 61% of people globally feel a “moderate or high grievance” toward business. Translation? If people smell the fake, they scroll right past you... or worse, they roast you publicly.

How Asia Reads PR Mistakes in Malaysia (and Beyond)

Performative gestures aren’t Western imports. They’re human; but the cultural fallout is very local.

  • Japan: Tatemae (the public façade) vs honne (true feelings). A polished bow with no reforms? That’s not respect, that’s theatre.

  • China: Zuò xiù (“doing a show”). Flashy campaigns cover cracks… until netizens pull receipts and regulators come knocking.

  • Malaysia & Singapore: Keikhlasan (sincerity). A festive Hari Raya post is meaningless if your policies reek of bias. Around here, insincerity isn’t a faux pas... it’s a betrayal.

  • ASEAN at large: Gotong-royong in Indonesia, humility in Thailand. Grandstanding CSR with no follow-through? Communities will clock it instantly.

Case in point: In 2024, a Malaysian bank launched a high-profile “green” campaign - tree-planting photo ops, carbon-neutral pledges, billboards everywhere. Meanwhile, its loan portfolio was still knee-deep in fossil fuels. Cue #GreenwashingMY, a 15–20% dip in sentiment, and customer churn spreading faster than a meme on TikTok.



At Orchan, we’ve seen how to flip this script. With Charterhouse Malaysia, instead of pulling a shiny PR stunt, we focused on real community partnerships i.e., workshops in underserved areas, co-created with NGOs. No fireworks, no ribbon-cutting circus. Just steady proof of impact. Result? Enrolment jumped 25%. That’s purpose-driven branding at work.

Spotting & Sidestepping Performative vs Purposeful Communication

Before you hit “publish” on your next campaign, ask yourself:

  • Do the deeds match the words? Pledging green while your supply chain is choking rivers? That’s noise, not strategy.

  • Would your team buy this? If your own employees are side-eyeing the campaign, the public will too.

  • Is it culturally tuned? Don’t parachute in Western grand gestures. In SEA, humility and relationships count more than a glossy press kit.

  • Are you measuring the right things? Likes fade. Retention, advocacy, and trust? That’s the gold.

Wrapping Up: From Facade to Foundation

Performative PR isn’t harmless fluff. It’s a brand landmine. In Asia, where sincerity, humility, and relationships aren’t just nice-to-haves but cultural cornerstones, faking it gets you caught out fast.

Brands that swap performance for purpose don’t just avoid crisis communication in Asia. They win loyalty. They turn skeptics into advocates. They survive the social media storm and come out stronger.

Next up in this series: When Words Fall Flat: The Cost of Performative PR in Asia (October 15).

Need help auditing your comms before the internet does it for you? For authentic PR strategies in Southeast Asia, our “Orchan Next” framework blends strategy with storytelling to keep you purposeful. Reach us at changenow@orchan.asia or subscribe at +603-7972 6377.

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