Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Safe Social | Protecting Your Business Reputation Online Craig J Selby It’s scary really. An employee posts a personal opinion online. It’s a tad controversial. Or perhaps just plan offensive. People willingly take offense. They share the post calling employee out for their indiscretion. Employee takes it down, but it’s too late. The dominoes have started to fall! Keyboard warriors stalk employee , and discover (deduce) that they work for your brand. The messages and threats start coming, first via PM, then via an orchestrated viral campaign to pressure your brand to fire employee . Chaos, expense (time and funds), and unwanted negative attention to your brand. What is your reaction? What do you do? I mean, it’s not even your company social media that made the post initially. Orchan recently hosted, in conjunction with UnionSPACE (thanks to Bruce an...

I decided to join Orchan Consulting’s Directors, Craig J Selby and Farrell Tan for lunch this past week, to discuss a few ideas on the broad topics of change management, crisis management, and reputation management – core foci to Orchan’s areas of expertise. 1. What is your take on the importance of change management strategies within a business?  CJS: Having a strategy, even if it is fluid in its approach, is always important. Change is always going to be hard, and its important to be aware of ramifications of each possible action. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take that action; it just means that you are better prepared. The old saying, “you cant please 100% of the people 100% of the time” will always ring true; hence, ensuring that there is a strategy and a direction to changes being undertaken is essential. Do all strategies work out? No! That does not mean the strategy was wrong – resistance to change is often greater than one can imagine. It just means...

My 5 Cents Worth   A few years back I was friends with a guy who managed a couple of F&B outlets as part of a bigger local chain of restaurants. I used to enjoy eating at the chain as the food was consistent, decent, well-priced, and of course, accessible to my home.   Late afternoon one day, I went to pick up some take-away for my dinner from an outlet I didn’t go to that much. The duty manager, as was the SOP, ‘manning’ the till (cash register), taking customer orders and processing payment. My bill: RM 19.95. I handed over my not-so-crisp RM20 note, and awaited my receipt (always ask for a receipt) and my change.   I got a receipt, but not my 5 sen (cents).   Duty manager shuffled off to get my order from the kitchen. When she returned with my order, I asked “where was my change”?   “Its only 5 sen lah, why do you care?” was her response. To which I gave her a very direct response: “Because it’s MY 5 sen and not yours”. She kept trying...

Building Brands | A Conversation with Farrell Tan With over two decades in advertising and PR, our Director Farrell Tan has worked on everything from Coca-Cola to Nokia. We sat down to talk about what he's learned about building brands that actually stick. 1. So, Farrell, you've been in this game for a while now. Take me through how you ended up doing what you're doing. Well, it wasn't exactly planned, I'll tell you that. I started as an intern - and honestly, I was just happy to get my foot in the door anywhere. The accounts I worked on... Reject Shop, Bank Utama, Sheraton Langkawi... not exactly glamorous stuff, right? But you know what? Best thing that could have happened to me. When you're working with smaller budgets, smaller brands, you can't just throw money at problems. You have to actually think. You have to be creative with RM5,000 instead of RM50,000. That discipline... I mean, it stayed with me even when I moved to McCa...

Say you’re in PR. You’ll get nods. Say you run food reviews for F&B clients? Suddenly, you’re everyone’s new best friend. The questions always come hot and fast: “So… do you eat everything?” “Champagne on tap, right?” “Do you write the review yourself?” Spoiler: it’s not one giant buffet on our client’s tab. More Than Just a Free Meal Food reviews are about storytelling. Helping our clients stand out in a sea of cafés, bars, and bistros. We curate the menu, frame the experience, and serve up a narrative that makes diners hungry before they even book a table. The Not-So-Secret Sauce Challenges? Always. Colleagues, clients, critics - sometimes even all three at once. But here’s the deal: we plate it up, smile, and handle the mess. (Want the unfiltered stories? Coffee or wine; your pick. We’ll spill.) Why Pictures Matter Words can make you hungry. But photos? They seal the deal. Think steak hissing on the grill. Chicken skin crisping golden. Chocolate cake me...