Posts

2021: HOLD MY BEER! Since 2020 Threw Everyones Crisis Playbook Out the Window

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2021: HOLD MY BEER! Since 2020 Threw Everyones Crisis Playbook Out the Window   I wrote this initial commentary a year ago.  Reflecting on an 'unknown' that fast became a reality, causing all forms of crisis and 'emergency' situations for businesses everywhere. While 2020 posed new challenges, especially as brands grappled with new modes of operation, channels and forms of communication, and general uncertainty; 2021 was hoped to be the long awaited return to normality. Now, 2022 has that honour, as the 2021 'sh1tstorm' really did say "hold my beer" and unraveled even more uncertainty for brand guardians, and reinforced the need for crisis planning, business continuity planning, and the like.  But something was different!  The fact that we had at least eight (8) month experience of the situation, started to bring certainty into our equation. New lockdowns were "repeat events" - brands had been through it before and were more equipped to r...

Conference Throwback | Communication & Collaboration

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Conference Throwback | Communication & Collaboration Not everything we do at Orchan is about the clients; sometimes it involves the broader community, and not just from a CSR perspective. Farrell and I are keen speakers, and we relish opportunities to share our experiences, perspectives, and mindsets with others. We give Guest Lecturers, we attend Conferences. All part of the broader ‘job’ so to speak. Six (6) years ago this week, we were invited to present at an International Conference on Communication in Jakarta. An easy accept for us, especially as we love Jakarta, have many friends there (including a couple of former staff, who are now trail-blazing their way through the Indonesian communications industry). But more than that, it was an important opportunity for us to share our viewpoints on Crisis Management; more specifically, Crisis Management and Communications in the Digital Age. Extracting some resources from our earlier guest lectures and corporate train...

Opinion | Up in the Air (or Not)?

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Up in the Air ( or Not )? At 5c / $ we can only show you a scale model! Happy flying! The past few weeks have seen some interesting moves by those with vested interests in the Air Asia X "Refund-gate" saga; from the airline, Mavcom, disgruntled customers (both through the courts and outside of), and the general public passing judgement. In light of a very interesting "veiled threat" issued by the airline yesterday through a media interview, Orchan Director Dr Craig J Selby decided to synthesise the current happenings surrounding this issue, in a shopt 'opinion video'. Sit back, enjoy, and let us know what you think about the whole scenario. 

Instinctively, Fake?

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Instinctively, Fake? If it’s too good to be true, or your gut instinct says “hang on, that doesn’t seem right”, chances are you have spotted a piece of fake news. But sometimes, the fake news is so convincing that even rudimentary fact checking doesn’t ‘out’ it instantly.   We’ve ‘borrowed’ the following from Marketing-Interactive (something for their upcoming conference), as it’s a great resource to highlight some of the basics of identifying fake news. Thanks guys for the cool resource, and for the conference too.   ----------     Fake news has been with us for as long as news has been in existence, yet the vitriol for it spiked in recent years.  In a day and age where everyone can easily report and livestream something newsworthy with their phone cameras; citizen journalism, unfortunately, also helps those with malicious intent to promulgate mis/disinformation.   We work in the media industry so we like to study why they remain s...

Accurate or Adequate? What Floats Your Boat?

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When it comes to communication, do you side with the Grammar Police, or are you more of a “close enough, lah” kind of person? For years, we’ve had this tug-of-war with clients, team members, and even ourselves: Some want perfection  - every comma in its rightful place, every word polished to textbook glory (even if it risks alienating certain audiences). Others push for accessibility  - plain language, local flavour, and an easy read that gets the point across, even if the Oxford dictionary clutches its pearls. So… which camp are you in? At Orchan, we believe the answer isn’t black or white. As communicators, our real job is making sure the message lands: clear, relatable, and appropriate for the audience in front of us. But hey, we also think standards matter. Language may be fluid, but that doesn’t mean we throw the rulebook completely out the window. It’s a balancing act: accuracy keeps credibility intact, while adequacy ensures inclusivity and impact. The ques...