Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

A few years ago, a regional brand we worked with found itself in the middle of a fast-moving online storm. A minor service error had escalated into angry tweets, then media pick-up. Their instinct? “Let’s wait it out. If we don’t feed the fire, it’ll burn out.” But silence doesn’t look neutral. In today’s environment, silence looks like guilt. Within 48 hours, the narrative was out of their hands. By the time they finally issued a statement, the damage wasn’t just about the service error -- it was about “a company that doesn’t care.” This isn’t a one-off. We’ve seen it across industries in Asia-Pacific : brands that equate silence with safety almost always dig themselves deeper . The public doesn’t interpret silence as strategic restraint ; they interpret it as evasion . And competitors or activists will happily fill that vacuum with their own version of the story. The lesson is clear: crisis management is not about hiding; it’s about speaking quickly without losing control . That’...

Reputation isn’t built by press releases. It’s shaped by what people say when they think no one’s listening. Here’s how unseen chatter can derail your brand, and what to do about it. Companies love their press releases. Glossy language, approved quotes, carefully chosen words. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: your reputation isn’t built in those polished paragraphs. It’s built in the conversations you don’t control. The comments whispered at the coffee shop. The WhatsApp messages between frustrated customers. The grumbles employees share at lunch. That’s where reputations are shaped; and often, where they’re broken. The Story No Press Release Could Save A few years ago, a well-known brand (no names, but you’d recognise them instantly) invested heavily in a “positive PR push.” Press releases were flowing, coverage looked great on paper, and the leadership team was confident. But beneath the surface, informal chatter was telling a different story. Customers were quietly compla...

Every brand leader knows they should be building reputation, trust, and visibility. But when it comes time to commit to PR, out come the usual suspects: “PR is too expensive and doesn’t deliver ROI.” “We can do this in-house.” “Our brand isn’t ready for PR yet.” We’ve heard them all. They sound reasonable on the surface, but scratch a little deeper, and they fall apart. Let’s dig in. 1. “PR is too expensive and doesn’t deliver ROI.” “Smart PR isn’t a cost — it’s leverage that multiplies every marketing dollar you spend.” Look, no one likes tossing money into a black hole. But PR isn’t an expense - it’s a force multiplier. It turns marketing into momentum. PR doesn’t add noise; it builds compounding credibility. It is measurable. Reach, sentiment, share of voice, leads... we’re not flying blind here. Reputation has a price. Ask anyone who’s had to dig themselves out of a brand crisis. It compounds over time. Ads stop the moment the budget dries up. PR...

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms - it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. Change looks glamorous on stage. Keynote speakers talk about it with perfect slides, smooth metaphors, and big promises. But behind the curtain? Change is chaos. It’s messy conversations. It’s sleepless nights. It’s mistakes, do-overs, and awkward silences in meeting rooms. It’s resistance from people who don’t want their world turned upside down. Real change isn’t clean. It’s dirty. It’s uncomfortable. And it demands more than lip service and buzzwords. But here’s the thing: dirty doesn’t mean impossible. Dirty means real. And real is where transformation happens. At Orchan, we don’t shy ...

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms - it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. “Don’t worry,” they say. “We’ve got the platform for that.” Engagement apps. Gamified dashboards. AI-driven culture trackers. Click here to connect. Click here to align. Click here to build culture. But here’s the problem: Culture doesn’t live in an app. You can’t download trust. You can’t gamify belonging. And you sure as hell can’t fix a toxic workplace with push notifications. Culture lives in conversations, not code. It shows up in how leaders behave when no one’s watching. It’s in the stories employees tell when they go home at night. It’s in the way people show up for each other when...

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms - it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. “Best practice.” Consultants love to drop those two words like they’re magic dust. They’ll tell you, “This is how the market leaders do it.” “This is the proven model everyone follows.” “This is best practice.” Sounds smart, right? Except it’s lazy. Here’s the truth: What works brilliantly in one company can crash and burn in another. Because culture isn’t copy-paste. Context isn’t universal. And your people aren’t someone else’s case study. Best practice? More often than not, it’s just someone else’s story, stripped of context and dressed up as a shiny solution. At Orchan, we don’t deal in...

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...

In 2015, Orchan Consulting Asia was honoured with two significant accolades at Advertising + Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year (AOTY) Awards: PR Agency of the Year (Bronze) and the Local Hero Award . The Bronze recognition was awarded based on three key measures: client success, agency performance, and contributions to the broader communications industry. This reflected the body of work Orchan delivered throughout 2014, underscoring our commitment to cost-effective solutions, measurable results, and high-quality campaign execution. Equally meaningful was the Local Hero Award , which celebrates outstanding Malaysian-owned agencies competing in a field often dominated by international players. This acknowledgment highlighted Orchan’s position as a boutique agency that has consistently delivered value, demonstrated thought leadership, and contributed to the development of the local communications landscape. Managing Director, Craig J Selby and Founding Director, Farrell Tan st...