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....

For years, silence has been treated as a kind of corporate virtue. Say nothing. Wait it out. Hope it passes. In theory, it sounds disciplined. In practice, it usually does the opposite of what brands intend. Silence is not neutral. It is interpreted. And in a real-time media environment, it is almost always interpreted badly. Why Brands Choose Silence Most decisions to stay quiet come from a reasonable place. Legal risk. Global sensitivities. Incomplete information. Fear of saying the wrong thing. In major M&A activity, restructuring, or crises, local communications teams often have limited room to move. Messages are cleared centrally. Words are scrutinised. Restraint is necessary. But somewhere along the way, restraint gets confused with disappearance. When nothing is said publicly, brands often tell themselves they are being careful. What they are really doing is outsourcing interpretation to everyone else. What Actually Happens When Brands Stay Silent Silence does not...

1. The Data That Demands Attention When 81% of global business leaders say cultural adaptation is now critical to brand reputation, 79% admit they’d rethink campaigns over cultural flashpoints, and 66% are willing to reverse course under stakeholder pressure. That’s not data. That’s a reality check. Weber Shandwick’s findings mirror what Southeast Asian communicators have known for years: in markets defined by ethnicity, faith, and fluid norms, context is currency. It’s no longer about what your brand says. It’s about how precisely (and how fast) you read the room. 2. Why This Matters in Southeast Asia Southeast Asia isn’t one market. It’s twelve realities, constantly negotiating identity and modernity. In Malaysia, every message runs through ethnic and religious filters. In Singapore, precision and policy tone dominate. In Indonesia and the Philippines, cultural and linguistic nuance determines whether a campaign feels authentic or foreign. Flashpoints are hyper-local. A tagline tha...

When a crisis hits, speed isn’t a luxury... it’s oxygen. And in APAC , where social chatter moves faster than official statements, brands that hesitate don’t just stumble -- they fall flat on their face. The question isn’t if a crisis will hit. It’s when . And when it does, your response decides whether you come out scarred but standing or dragged through the mud for months. Case Study 1: Bitis vs. Khaisilk -- Apology vs. Denial Two Vietnamese brands. Two very different outcomes. Bitis , the footwear brand, ran a cultural campaign that backfired. Instead of stonewalling, they did the simplest, smartest thing: apologised quickly, corrected the issue, and kept moving. Consumers noticed the humility, and the brand survived with minimal scars. Khaisilk , on the other hand, was caught mislabelling “ Made in Vietnam ” silk that was actually from China. At first? Denial. Then, when the truth came out, scrambling apologies, recalls, compensation. By then, it was too late -- the damage w...

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...