Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Performative versus purposeful has become the dominant way we talk about brand communication in Southeast Asia. It is a useful provocation, but it only tells part of the story. Many communication failures don’t come from bad intent or cynical leadership. They emerge from misaligned systems, structural constraints, or uneven change. Brands can sound fake not because they are lying, but because their organisations aren’t set up to speak clearly. This isn’t a defence of performative PR. It’s a clear-eyed look at why it happens, when it can still serve a function, and why moralising oversimplifies the challenge. If you missed our first article in this series, Performative or Purposeful? Decoding Brand Communication in Southeast Asia , you can read it here: https://orchanpr.blogspot.com/2025/09/performative-or-purposeful-decoding.html The False Binary The performative–purposeful debate travels fast on LinkedIn. It signals values and sparks conversation. But in practice, it flattens reality....

AI search promised a simple bargain: create great content, earn visibility. That era is ending fast. Platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are starting to monetise answers. Soon, being discovered won’t just be about credibility; it’ll require strategy and budgets. Not a bidding war. A visibility war. If Google’s ad-heavy search results already feel exhausting, brace yourself: the next wave of AI search may feel like Google on steroids. Paid AI visibility isn’t coming. It’s already here: Google: “Sponsored” cards appear in AI Overviews. Many users barely notice the difference. Think of how “hotel booking” queries now blend organic and paid listings. AI may do the same for service recommendations. Perplexity: “Sponsored Follow-ups” insert paid prompts directly into conversations. A SaaS tool, for example, could appear as the “next suggested question” for productivity queries. OpenAI: Testing commerce ads inside ChatGPT responses. A cosmetics brand might ...

Every week, a new “miracle” lands in someone’s WhatsApp group: A Chinese virtual human sells a million dollars’ worth of lipstick in minutes. A Korean digital idol earns more than half the celebrities on your billboards. A virtual girl group racks up 300 million views on Douyin before lunch. And of course, someone forwards it to the boss: “Why don’t we do one of these also?” We get it. The numbers are dazzling. The production looks flawless. But here’s the thing: East Asia has developed very specific playbooks for virtual influencers. Southeast Asia is experimenting with its own mix of humans, AI, and stylised characters, and that’s what actually works here. Why East Asia Can Sprint While Southeast Asia Is Finding Its Own Pace 1. Budgets shape the game A top-tier hyper-real virtual human costs between  RM3.5m–RM20m to build, RM200k–RM600k monthly to maintain. In China or Korea, scale and platform support make it work. In SEA, that level of investment is mostly for supe...

Walk through any Malaysian city and the shift is unmistakable. One toothbrush in the holder. One meal packed neatly for one. One person signing the lease on a studio apartment. What used to feel temporary or unusual is now quietly becoming the norm -- the rise of the Solo Economy . Across Malaysia, the traditional family household is no longer the sole driver of consumption. Household sizes have been shrinking, from 4.3 in 2010 to 3.8 in 2020, and today, nearly 45% of Malaysians are single. That’s almost half the population redefining what independence, convenience, and value look like in everyday life. However, most brands still see this through a narrow lens; assuming “solo” means young, urban, and financially carefree. The fact of the matter is that it’s far more complex, and far more interesting. The Many Faces of the Solo Economy The Solo Economy isn’t a KL-only phenomenon, nor is it made up solely of high-spending professionals chasing experiences. It’s a diverse mix of peop...

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...

PR and communications get more bad takes than pineapple on pizza. People love to boil it down to lazy clichés, quick fixes, or dusty old rules; then they act shocked when their campaigns flop, their reputation tanks, or their competitors run circles around them. Time to kill the nonsense. Here are five of the worst myths that keep brands stuck on repeat - and why they need to be buried, fast. Myth 1: PR is just “getting media coverage.” Cute. But that’s like saying a Swiss Army knife is just a toothpick. The truth: Reputation beats reach - trust can’t be bought. Real PR is strategy, not just spin. Media is only one channel; the playground is much bigger. Results are measurable, if you know how to look. Sometimes silence is the sharpest move of all. If you still think PR is just clippings, congratulations - you’re running a 2025 business with a 1995 playbook. “PR isn’t just coverage — it’s chess, not checkers.” Myth 2: “Any publicity is good publicity.” Please. That g...

How Orchan Consulting Asia helps brands navigate change - from Peugeot’s reputation rebuild, to DFSK’s first electric van, to Kao’s trust-building with parents. Change isn’t a slogan – it’s messy, unpredictable, and often uncomfortable. But it’s also where growth lives. At Orchan, we’ve spent years helping brands navigate that tricky space between “what was” and “what’s next.” This series, Orchestrating Change: Stories from the Field , takes you behind the curtain. Real brands, real problems, and the strategies that turned the tide: from rebuilding Peugeot’s reputation before a major launch, to helping DFSK break ground with Malaysia’s first electric van, to showing Kao Malaysia how to win not just market share, but parent hearts. Each story shows one thing: change doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you orchestrate it with purpose. When Reputation Hit the Brakes - Peugeot Malaysia and the 308 How Orchan Consulting Asia helped Peugeot Malaysia rebuild trust in the 308 throu...

At Orchan Consulting Asia, we’ve never believed in being “sector bound.” Whether it’s consumer brands, tech, F&B, or, in this case, sustainable mobility, we roll up our sleeves and get in the trenches to make sure our clients are seen, heard, and remembered. Recently, we had the opportunity to work with QC Fleet Management Sdn Bhd and DFSK for the launch of the DFSK EC35 all-electric van at the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), Cyberjaya. Beyond being another launch event, it was a milestone moment: an EV designed for last-mile delivery, SMEs, and businesses looking for sustainable fleet solutions . Why the DFSK EC35 Matters “Going green doesn’t have to be expensive.”  - Lim Khoon Yee, Managing Director of QC Fleet Management Sdn Bhd The EC35 proves that sustainability and practicality can co-exist. With zero carbon emissions, lower running costs, and practical design features , it’s positioned as a true workhorse for Malaysian businesses navigati...

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. “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...

Startups don’t have the luxury of time, and they sure don’t have the luxury of big budgets. You’re running lean, fighting for market share, and probably pitching to investors in the same week you’re onboarding your first customers. So why bother with PR - or even consider a PR agency for startups in Malaysia  - when every ringgit counts? Because in Malaysia’s crowded startup ecosystem, credibility isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s survival. Why PR Beats Ads (Especially for Startups) Let’s be blunt: you can buy ads. Anyone can. But attention isn’t the same as trust. A Google ad might get someone to click. A social campaign might rack up likes. But the right kind of PR gets you something money can’t buy: belief . People believe what third parties (media, thought leaders, even communities) say about you far more than what you say about yourself. And when you’re a startup - unknown, untested, and maybe a little misunderstood - credibility is the currency that opens doors. Investors, custom...

Reputation isn’t just PR fluff anymore. It’s not about glossy press clippings or a viral stunt that gets you trending for a day. Reputation is a business currency;  and in Malaysia, it’s often the difference between being trusted or being torn apart. Why Reputation Hits Different Here Here’s the thing about Malaysia: people talk. And they don’t just talk... they share, screenshot, forward to family WhatsApp, WeChat or Telegram groups, and pile on in the comments. One slip, one badly phrased remark, one campaign that misses cultural nuance… and you’re not just facing a PR headache. You’re facing community outrage. It’s not just about customers either. Regulators are watching. Investors are watching. Employees are watching. Everyone wants to know: can we trust you? That’s why “just keep quiet and hope it blows over” isn’t a strategy. It’s a gamble - and one that rarely pays off. Short-Term Noise vs. Long-Term Reputation Publicity? That’s short-term. It’s the sugar rush of marke...