Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

For years, the influencer playbook in Southeast Asia was simple: hire the biggest name you could afford, sit back, and watch the likes roll in. But the rules have changed. Today, audiences are savvier, regulators are catching up, and the real influence is shifting from the red-carpet “mega” stars to the smaller, hungrier, more authentic voices shaping communities online. If you’re still chasing follower counts as your north star, you’re not just behind the curve; you’re burning budget. The Shift: From Mega to Micro (and Nano) In markets like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, consumers are starting to tune out big-ticket endorsements. Why? Because they smell scripted, staged, and bought. Enter micro- and nano-influencers: creators with 1,000 to 50,000 followers, often laser-focused on niche communities e.g., parenting groups, gaming circles, sustainable living advocates, you name it. They may not have the lure or gloss of a celebrity, but their engagement rates are often higher...

 “Thought leadership” has become one of those overused buzzwords that’s lost all meaning. Every other LinkedIn post promises some grand new vision, some “future of X” prediction, some executive announcing that they too have Deep Thoughts about the state of the world. The result? A mountain of ego-driven fluff no one asked for, and no one remembers. Thought leadership without usefulness is just self-promotion. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: people don’t care about your thoughts . They care about their problems. And the leaders who actually stand out aren’t the ones shouting, “Look at my insight!” but the ones consistently saying, “Here’s something useful you can apply right now.” Think about it: A CEO who publishes a checklist to help SMEs cut energy costs earns far more trust than one who writes 1,500 words about “the coming green economy.” A communications director who shares three phrases to avoid in a crisis briefing will be remembered long after the “Top 10 PR Tren...