Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Could a Pivot be your Brand Downfall?| Yup, Possible!   In many cases, our current situation has caused the rulebook to be thrown out the window. Probably rightly so, too; as we struggle to obtain consistency (and reliability of data) to make effective planning decisions. With uncertainty comes change; hence, pivoting our business / business model to take advantage of what is ‘right now’, even though, it may not be ‘right’ for our brand sustainability. How so, you ask? Isn’t pivoting for survival a good tactic? Absolutely. But remember, it’s just that; a tactic. Until some semblance of certainty resurfaces; but what happens after? Has the pivot been sustainable, or has it actually created damage to your brand?   In a conference in December 2020 I made an “off-the-cuff” remark that “a hospital is the least safest place to be during a pandemic”. Friends who are medical professionals shared their agreement to this statement, reinforced by the revelation that their busin...

Blast From the Past | Red Bull Interview with Super KIP at the MotoGP It was an adrenaline-filled weekend last week at Sepang International Circuit (SIC), where the penultimate round of Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) took place. More than one hundred thousand people attended on Sunday, to watch riders and teams from all over the world competing for the chequered flag.   The race, which consisted of three (3) categories; Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP, began on Friday with free practice sessions, followed by qualifiers on Saturday, and the main race on Sunday. I was there on Sunday not particularly for the race; but for facilitating media interview sessions with Malaysian rider, Khairul Idham Pawi (KIP) for our client, Red Bull. Following his stellar performance in previous races, in which he won a number of podiums, KIP was praised for putting Malaysia talent on the map in the international motorcycle racing scene. Residing for the Honda Asia Team, KIP is affiliated...

Just Be Excellent They say practice makes perfect. But to keep perfection, it must be a continuous action.  

Brand Strength of Purpose It is no longer merely good enough to have a great product or service; your customers expect (demand) that you have a purpose too, and that you know and convey this to stakeholders.  Strength of Purpose is now an attribute of each brand. So, let us ask you two questions: What is  your brand purpose? How does your brand live (and breathe) that purpo se? Consumers are drawn to brands which live their purpose and contribute to society in positive ways, and are clear and unquivering about this. In fact, consumers are making conscious purchase decisions based upon this, as well as direct non-purchase decisions based upon it's absence.  Check out our video which explains Brand Strength of Purpose, especially in Asia, and what that means for us as communicators and marketers.   

2020 in Retrospect | Training & Public Speaking Engagements   One thing that 2020 enabled was training! From pivoting to online delivery modes to embrace the #BusinessAsUnUsual minset and regulatory constraints, through to curating exciting new courses and content with innovative new partners; training was a central theme for us at Orchan.  Our signature Crisis Management programmes evolved to focus on Business Continuity Planning and the Role of Communications in Non-Brand Crises – something that many entrepreneurs and managers needed to explore early on in the year. Many businesses were still blinded (like deer-in-the-headlights-blinded) with Malaysia’s first lockdowns, and were extremely slow to react on the communications front. New programmes included Return on Relationship, Developing Strength of Purpose, BrandYOU, and programmes examining specific industries in detail – property, retail, and education.   New collaborations saw Orchan work with old fri...

When We Get Caught on Camera   Exhausting, but fun!   That pretty much sums up our first day recording Crisis training just before Christmas.   Not live webinar training; but pre-recorded online training, that’s going to be accessible via mobile app.   Orchan is collaborating with new mobile phone-based training app, Open Academy, to facilitate a series of easy-access training modules on Crisis Communications & Planning. The Open Academy app empowers participants to truly learn-on-the-go, as content is specifically curated for mobile-phone-based, short duration learning.   It’s an emerging paradigm for training, and Orchan is excited to redesign its signature Crisis content and training to embrace short-burst learning. A few others are in the pipeline, too.   App-based doesn’t make the preparation any easier though; succinct content in shorter-than-five-minute blocks, end-to-end recording to maintain the trainers momentum; couple...

Blast from the Past | Yuna Inspired Astro Hitz ‘Yuna Inspired’ campaign was more than just a platform to bond with her fans, it was also an interactive contest for Yuna’s fans to share creative ideas and help pen a tune with their favourite icon - the campaign contest offered fans a lifetime opportunity to “inspire” Yuna by helping her finish the lyrics to her latest song. Each week, Yuna would post a verse from her work-in-progress track, and fans get to share their self-composed lyrics to see if they can finish it. Winners from each week received prizes and an invitation to a secret concert, held at end of the campaign. Yuna serenading the crowd during the Press Conference Orchan was involved in creating the overall publicity strategy for the Yuna Inspired campaign, as well as managing the logistics of the competition. To maximise publicity, Orchan produced weekly contest releases to gain media support for the competition, and most importantly, to get the contest message o...