Performative or Purposeful? Decoding Brand Communication in Southeast Asia
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 skep...