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With festive woven ketupat artfully displayed, pelita lamps providing a welcoming glow, the upbeat tune of Sudirman singing “Balik Kampung”, and the smell of lemang and rendang in the air – Hari Raya is upon us once again! 

Similar to Christmas, the month-long period of Ramadan and Hari Raya is not only a significant festive season and religious occasion, it is also one of the key campaign periods earmarked for the year. 

After two years of celebrating this momentous holiday in lockdown, Malaysians are thrilled to be celebrating Hari Raya in its full glory once again. From Hari Raya decor, new Raya outfits, and mouth watering delicacies, several brands went big to push their festive launches. But with many companies launching their Raya campaigns during this period, it is easy for brands to get lost in the chatter, leaving them with little return on investment. 

Find out how to make most of your Raya campaigns with these tips on how to amplify your brand and make your business stand out with effective public relations and marketing strategies.

Plan early

The first step is to plan in advance so that you have time to spark interest in your brand. The key is not to launch your campaign on Hari Raya itself, but right at the beginning of Ramadan – the month before Hari Raya, where Muslims observe fasting, spiritual reflection, and self-improvement. Iron out your campaign messaging, marketing objectives, and event planning to make the most of this festive period.

Stand out from the crowd

Differentiate yourself from competitors and capture people’s attention with limited-edition festive packaging, new products, or perhaps a heartwarming advert. The goal is to have your brand front, centre, and top of mind for your consumers. The key to achieving this is  creating a campaign your customers can relate to. If you can resonate with your audience, you can increase awareness and brand love, which will hopefully lead to sales and increased engagement. 

One great example comes from Subway Malaysia, which launched a campaign that definitely made them stand out from other quick service restaurant brands in the market. In the spirit of celebrating togetherness and local culture, Subway Malaysia introduced a new mascot in conjunction with Ramadan and Hari Raya. They partnered with social media art sensation Ernest Ng, known for his ‘Don’t like that la bro’ comic series, to produce the character ‘Sabweh’ that made its debut across Malaysia with limited-edition Raya packets that were available for guests to redeem in-restaurant with any purchase.

Not only does the ‘Sabweh’ character capture the attention of customers, Subway Malaysia also showcased a series of heartwarming videos featuring people from different walks of life, in an attempt to highlight the importance of sharing and kindness in the community.

Put together immersive media engagements 

Immersive and interactive engagements are sure to bring your Ramadan or Raya event to the next level! Not only is it a great way to bring media, influencers and partners together to celebrate the festive season, it is also a great way to kickstart your campaign!

Our team at Mutant Malaysia prides themselves on curating personalised experiences for the media and influencers so that they can immerse themselves in the brand – a few examples include working with clients to host a gastronomical Buka Puasa dinner after an entertaining ‘Eid In Harmony’ Hari Raya launch, conducting a mini Wayang Kulit workshop and hosting a private Wayang Kulit performance at Intermark Mall, and organising a spectacular performance by Upin & Ipin at Pavilion Bukit Jalil for the media and their kids.

Hosting unique media engagements not only secures more media attendance, it is also key to garnering quality coverage beyond a standard press release. 

Relying on social media 

Social media and digital marketing are not only essential strategies, they prove to be a great way to communicate with your target audience. Plus, it is a platform where people are spending more time during Ramadan. In fact, social media has been cited as the top online activity that Muslims engage in during the Holy Month of Ramadan. 

Islamic lifestyle app Muslim Pro is an excellent example of how a brand can use social media to engage with Muslims all over the world as well as successfully partner with Muslim influencers. For example, Muslim Pro collaborated with celebrity chef Rouba Shahin, who shared her recipes for breaking fast, and fitness entrepreneur Nawal Haddad, who contributed fitness routines for Ramadan workouts. Such partnerships can help businesses grow brand awareness by leveraging the social media following of influencers while also using social media as a platform for effective storytelling and brand building. 

Telling impactful stories

Get your name out there by landing solid media placements through engaging stories that are timely and relevant to the consumer. Storytelling is the most authentic and effective way to share your brand or products with audiences. 

One of our clients, Intermark Mall, a neighbourhood mall in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, used adept storytelling about Malaysian culture throughout the Ramadan period by creating Raya decorations that shone the spotlight on the ancient art of shadow puppetry with Malaysia’s traditional Wayang Kulit as well as nostalgic Malaysian childhood games such as Batu Seremban and Congkak. 

In addition, the mall collaborated with Wak Long Music & Art Centre so that shoppers could participate in interactive workshops and performances. To help spread the word about Intermark’s initiative, the Mutant Malaysia team organised interactive media engagements with journalists and bloggers, and arranged for one-on-one interviews with a master puppeteer for the media to write features on the importance of preserving an important piece of Malaysia’s culture.  

Interesting media gifts

Ramadan and Raya is all about gifting and giving back. What better way to appreciate the media, partners and influencers you’ve been working with than to present them with something special to celebrate the festive season?

Mutant Malaysia recently curated two unique media gifts for our clients over this festive period. To help promote Muslim Pro’s Ramadan content, we curated an exclusive Sunnah Superfoods box packed full of nutritious, immunity-boosting superfoods to fuel the mind, body and soul during the fasting month of Ramadan. We also loved Subway Malaysia’s sub-lime pillow that commemorates the star of Subway’s Ramadan campaign – the footlong sub. Media and influencers were certainly happy to receive this special sub-prise!

Brands that can successfully engage consumers during this festive period will hold the key to success. Fully taking advantage of the increased social media screen-time is a prime opportunity for brands to educate, entertain and engage consumers for them to leave a lasting impact that continues on beyond Ramadan and Hari Raya. 

Want to create campaigns that stand out? Contact us at hello@mutant.com.sg

Back in the day, you could write a press release to announce a new product, menu or campaign you have and voilà – press coverage and happiness served on a platter! But as the media landscape has rapidly evolved over the years and begun to shrink, journalists and publications expect more than a press release, making it harder to land coverage. Today, those in the F&B industry must instead find ways to connect with their audience directly while providing journalists and publications with more sophisticated offerings. 

Compounding this is the fact that the F&B industry has undergone two years of intense changes, from dealing with recurring waves of restrictions and disruptions in supply chains to an uncertain future. Regardless, the industry has persevered, and there is much to be discussed as to how it can continue to thrive. Through our interactions with brands in the industry, here’s our take on three how-tos to ensure continued success for these businesses.

Adopt a tailored approach to press announcements  

Let’s say you’re launching a new product (yay!) – the (not so) bad news is that only you and your consumers care about it. But the good news is that there are ways to make the media care about it.  To do this, brands must think outside the box to jazz up their launch and engage media and consumers, while bearing in mind the current news cycle – perhaps an occasion is round the corner or there is a heavy focus on a particular topic in the news. Work to leverage these moments whenever possible and tie them into your announcements and launches to ride the trending topic wave while also generating excitement for your new product. 

On top of the usual press assets like a press release and press kits, F&B brands should consider going one step further and coupling these announcements with creative media drops or media events to give writers, critics, and tastemakers a first-hand experience. Finally, to further drive post-launch sustenance, brands must continue to engage journalists with tailored story angles to maintain momentum.

Stay informed of industry news and  trends 

As part of the industry, brands must stay in the know about the latest trends and developments within their specific niche. This allows them to, as mentioned above, tap into these moments and trendjack them with relevant content while also discussing what these issues mean for their customers and the larger community. 

One such way to keep updated is through media monitoring – by doing this, brands can have an overview of the type of industry news making the rounds as well as what their competitors are doing and saying. It is also useful for brands with a significant presence to track their consumer feedback and gather data to analyse any potential trends to further improve their services. Additionally, these insights can be  packaged with announcements to share with the media, whenever relevant. 

Be an authority on relevant topics and  have an opinion 

Ever wondered why you always see the same few experts commenting on the same industries and topics? For media to consider certain brands or spokespersons as go-to experts, they must first establish themselves as an authority on core topics within their business. Most importantly, these spokespeople must be willing to take a stance or provide high-level insights and analysis, whenever appropriate. 

To position yourself as an industry expert, trust and credibility must be built first on your brands’ owned platforms – anything from sharing infographics on social media or your thoughts in a blog posted to LinkedIn. When you get your thoughts, opinions, and data out there, you distribute content relevant to your industry and position yourself as a thought leader in your area of expertise. If your content is impactful, it will translate to your brand and help cement you as a  trusted source people can turn to for a quote or comment. In addition, this will help you amass a trove of information that can be used in media engagements. 

Eventually, journalists will start seeking you out after you’ve established a certain level of trust. From there, repeated interactions with journalists either through casual (media lunches, meet and greets) or formal engagements (exclusive media interviews) help to build a relationship, foster trust and allow journalists closer access to you and your brand. 

Want to know more about building meaningful relationships with the media and find the best way to make your announcements known to the public? Drop us a line at hello@mutant.com.sg!

In October 2021, Mutant Communications’ Heather Seet and Victoria Brown won Gold at ICCO’s inaugural Next Generation PR Word Cup, beating out global teams to bring home the top prize. Heather writes about the journey, and how they secured the win.

On the morning of October 21st 2021, Victoria and I were sending each other GIFs on Slack. Technically, we were sending one specific GIF, multiple times: 

We were in the Zoom waiting room of the ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup virtual announcement ceremony,  and we were joking about the best ways to react if we didn’t bring home an award. But we never got around to testing the opposite, and when our names were actually called as the Gold Winners, we were almost too excited to speak.

But let’s rewind to the beginning. 

When Mutant first nominated us for the competition, I thought to myself: we’re in different countries, how are we going to pull this off? 

For a competition with a time crunch, it was going to be tough developing ideas with one of us in Singapore and the other in Malaysia. And while it definitely added a challenge, it reinforced the importance of clarity in communication, organisation in thought, and a robust approach to brainstorming.

The competition came with a hefty ask: create two award-worthy campaigns in very short timeframes. We had to come up with a regional consumer campaign in 48 hours, and a global corporate campaign and video pitch in five days.

Here’s how we did it: 

Rely on digital tools 

When Victoria and I first started working on the regional project – a consumer campaign for Singapore Kindness Movement to encourage a ​​kinder digital world – we sat on a Zoom call, unsure of the best way to enter a collaborative brainstorm. I had some things scribbled on loose paper, and she had some ideas typed up on a Word doc.

Instead of limiting ourselves to linear thought by sticking to a document, we got creative and searched for tools that would best suit our needs. After considering several digital tools, we eventually settled on using Google Jamboard, which allowed us to collaborate easily, as well as express and organise our thoughts.

Ultimately, we ended up with this:

Our Jamboard brainstorm for The Power of Words, our winning campaign for Singapore Kindness Movement

 While narrowing down which digital tools to use, Victoria and I found that the best tools are the ones that help to visualise processes, and allow streamlining of thought to distil the best ideas.

Say “yes, and…”

It’s a familiar phrase in improv acting, but it’s also extremely applicable to the brainstorming phase. We threw together all our wild, wacky ideas – even the ones that we thought might not have belonged. That said, we kept our objective clearly in mind, and when we found  ourselves veering off course, we didn’t just axe the route – we found a bend in the road to bounce off each other, and strengthened our ideas by saying “yes, and”.

After 30 minutes of pure ideation, we moved to grouping and categorising our ideas. This is the point  where the far-flung concepts got deprioritised, and our clearer concepts rose to the top to paint a coherent picture.

How we grouped our brainstorm session to identify consistent themes and progress areas

Messy is good, but only the start.

My personal favourite Jamboard slide is the one that depicts my true calling as an artist.

“Untitled” – Heather Seet, 2021

Once we started to prioritise the things that mattered, we took the time to clean it up. Not for the format – brainstorming is only a means to an end – but for clarity, so that we could clearly understand our flow of thought, and see how our process from start to finish responded to the brief.

This is also how we organised our final flow when planning the global-level corporate campaign which presented us with a challenging corporate brief from the International SOS Foundation. The campaign needed to educate C-Suite executives about Duty of Care. After our initial, messy brainstorm and the clean-up process, our Jamboard looked like this: .

Our thought process for Speak Up: Duty of Care, the winning campaign at the ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup

With our brainstorming finished, our Jamboard organised, and our campaign goals clear, we were then in a great place to start taking these ideas and turning them into full-fledged campaigns.

Bringing our campaigns to life:

First up: The PRCA Next Generation PR World Cup APAC

At the regional level, our campaign for the Singapore Kindness Movement consisted of two phases: 

• The first phase focused on raising awareness about cyber-hate in Singapore through a ground-up hashtag campaign.
• The second phase moved to enact behavioural change through an interactive physical and digital art installation. 

Rooted in engagement with key stakeholders, our campaign focused on powering the dialogue on cyber-wellness, influencing conversations from individual activism to policy recommendations.

Our plan on a page for the PRCA Next Generation PR World Cup APAC

The Second Challenge: The ICCO Next Gen PR World Cup

Once we passed the regional phase and made it to the global level, we decided to switch campaign phases up a bit by turning the tables and starting from the ground up. By empowering the everyday workforce with the tools they would need to contribute their perspectives on employee health and wellbeing within their companies, we could enable them to speak up – and speak upwards – to key decision makers who could make a difference.

Our four-phase approach aimed to drive business leaders to implement organisational change, transforming their Duty of Care processes to create better workplaces that inspire confidence, peace-of-mind and employee satisfaction.

Our plan on a page for the ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup

It was an incredible journey and an honour to represent our region and be awarded Gold as the inaugural winners of the ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup. Holding our own and coming out on top in a global industry competition will always be a career highlight for me – and it wouldn’t have been possible without Victoria on my team, Mutant behind our backs, and some powerful brainstorming.

Need help with launching PR campaigns? You’ve come to the right place: hello@mutant.com.sg

No matter how hard we may hang onto our favourite pair of jeans and go-to hairstyles, changes in trends are inevitable: what’s fashionable one year may not be fashionable the next. Trends ebb and flow, and the same goes for fonts – every year, new fonts and font trends come to light, promising us new ways to express ourselves.

Quirky fonts have reigned supreme in the last two years, and we expect that 2022 will be a little calmer – consumers are looking to be reassured, and brands can easily stand out if they use fonts that comfort and soothe. But calm doesn’t mean boring – and it seems that the font trends in 2022 will offer us a very exciting year of typography. From soft-edged to retro, here are some typefaces we think will popular in the coming months:

Varied Versatility: Cotford

A contemporary serif from Monotype Studio’s Creative Type Director Tom Foley, Cotford is a languid serif with a wide range of weights. From delicate thin typefaces that bend like flower stems, to bold heavy weights that command the page and screen with confidence and vintage charm, Cotford’s layered versatility is a treat for designers.

Foley set out to create a soulful, modern serif typeface for designers to experiment and play with, and Cotford’s changeable font opens up a wide range of visual expression, allowing designers to experiment with different weights, contrasts, and optical sizes until they find the ideal weight, contrast, and optical size for their project. With its classic paradigm of three text and five display weights, it’s a great choice for brands looking to create online reports, brochures, as well as larger physical designs including books and billboards.

It’s Grooooooovy: Quinllyk

We’re going back to the 1970s with Quinllyk, a retro serif font series with thick, curved lettering. Assertive and cheery, Quinnlyk conjures spinning records, bell bottom jeans, and questionable hair products. 

With its expansive terminals and fillagrees, this font conveys a fantastical, adventurous atmosphere thanks to the font’s flowing curves that give it a sense of life. The  broad serif and unique shape make this typeface suitable for a wide range of projects, including  branding, logos, wedding designs, social media posts, commercials, product packaging, and any other projects that require a touch of handwriting.

With over 50 alternative characters and ten ligatures, this typeface offers something for everyone. 

In The Heights: Flexible

One of the most innovative fonts we’ve seen so far, Flexible is a modern, changeable, all-caps sans serif font. Its mixed-width typographies have a fun, graphic appeal that make them a variety of designs – product packaging, book and report covers, and so on.

Created by art director and illustrator Art Grootfontein, Flexible was inspired by late-19th century gothic typefaces from broadsheets and with animation in mind, the versatile uppercase designs come in eight widths and e heights, as well as a changeable version font that promises endless font possibilities. Using variable font technologies, designers can easily tinker with each letter height and width.

To maximise the font’s legibility, use a chunky sans serif font  and use high-contrast colour palettes to make your message stand out. This font family is ideal for eye-catching design work, and it’s well-suited for both print and digital applications including advanced web design or kinetic typography. Use mixed-width fonts for tasks that demand a little quirkiness.

Soft and Smooth: Visby Round

Looking for a fuss-free font? Visby Round’s rounded sans serif style communicates honesty and openness, making it ideal for product and brand logos, mobile apps, digital brochures, and advertisements. 

Once reserved for the domain of children’s products, rounded sans serif fonts have experienced a shift away from the world of all things kid-friendly thanks to their ultra-legibility, especially on digital screens and for visually challenged readers. The more mature renditions of the rounded type design that have emerged find the ideal blend of pleasant naïvety and geometric flair.

If you’re looking for a little smooth sans-serif deliciousness, Visby Round’s warm, approachable design  is the font for you – especially since Latin and Cyrillic scripts are included. This font looks great next to contrasting, sharp serif typefaces like Artifex CF and Addington CF. 

Though these are a few of our favorite new fonts, this is by no means an exhaustive list of what 2022 has in store. If the previous years have been any indication, new and innovative typographic breakthroughs are always around the corner — we just need to keep our eyes peeled. 

Need help selecting fonts for your business? You’ve come to the right place: hello@mutant.com.sg

“What are your pronouns?” 

Found everywhere from social media bios and university classrooms to medical intake forms, this now common question has generated confusion, celebration and outrage in equal parts.

The controversy this question courts has to do with the definition of gender as opposed to sex, and how ideas about gender have evolved from two options – she/her or he/him – to include gender-neutral options such as they/them, among others.

Proponents of the (grammatially correct!) they/them and other gender-neutral pronouns believe these additional options provide a more accurate way of referring to people who identify as queer, non-binary, or gender non-conforming, as well as a more sensitive default option when you’re unsure of another person’s gender and chosen pronouns.

Like everything, language evolves over time – and as the language we use to express gender identity publicly broadens to be more inclusive of people’s personal choices, brands should reflect these changes, too. 

How inclusivity differs from diversity

You may be wondering, “Okay, but what do pronouns have to do with advertising campaigns?”

Or maybe it’s more along the lines of, “But we already showcase diversity in our campaigns – what do pronouns have to do with that?”

Inclusivity goes hand-in-hand with diversity – both are incredibly important, and while many brands have worked very hard to become more diverse, both internally and externally, inclusivity is sometimes more elusive.

The difference is this: diversity reflects the characteristics that make everyone different from each other while inclusion treats everyone equally and respectfully, regardless of what you can or cannot see about them – such as their personal pronouns. Paying attention to a person’s chosen personal pronouns and respecting how they wish to be addressed is just one way to be inclusive of others. 

The easiest way to ensure that your brand is both diverse and inclusive is to make it look like the world around you, showcasing a wide array of people and lifestyles.

It really is as easy – and as difficult – as that.

A great example comes from what might be an unexpected source: Hasbro’s Potato Head. Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head were classic toys that many of us grew up with, but in 2021 Hasbro decided it was high-time to make some changes: the company dropped the gendered “Mr.” from the Potato Head brand name and launched gender-neutral family sets that include a variety of accessories kids can choose from when playing with the toys, allowing them to dress their Potato Head family up as they see fit. It’s a smart solution that is as clever as it is inclusive.

How to become an inclusive brand

Let’s say you’re a heritage babycare brand. It’s a safe bet that your target audience is mothers. Because of this, the look and feel of your brand is likely crafted to appeal to the traditional idea of mothers – which is to say, heterosexual women who exhibit traditionally feminine gender characteristics. Everything from ad creative to copy on your website, in campaigns, and on social media is likely anchored in what you believe will make a mother stop and pay attention.

It might sound like moving away from this decision is a complicated one – but it’s actually quite easy. The quickest way to make the change and become more inclusive is to shift your brand’s mindset from appealing to mothers to appealing to parents. 

From there, consider who parents are these days – their age range, their sexual orientations, their genders, and their ethnicities are absolutely core considerations and can help you begin to reflect the world today. For example, parents include heterosexual couples, working parents, single moms, same-sex couples, stay-at-home dads – the list goes on and on. 

Another key component of inclusion is to highlight different lifestyles. Consider how these parents express themselves as individuals, what aesthetics appeal to them, what their interests are, and then incorporate these details into your campaigns.

For example, choosing to feature a mother who has a full sleeve of tattoos, a heterosexual couple who have adopted a child of a different ethnicity, or a single dad who uses a wheelchair is a great start. The next step is to adapt the copy you use to include mothers, fathers, families, and parents and to weave in a variety of pronouns that those people might use. These changes will help ensure your brand is not just diverse, but inclusive.

With one change in mindset, you’ve suddenly unlocked a treasure trove of opportunities and begun to appeal to not just traditionally feminine mothers, but parents of all stripes.

How agencies can help

A recent survey by R3 found that 40% of agencies across Southeast Asia said their client briefs never include diversity and inclusion specifications. Beyond this, 44% of the advertisements included in the report’s review had narratives driven by a male perspective and showed women in domestic, familial, or maternal roles.

This goes to show that there is still much room for improvement across the region and that agencies can help be a catalyst for change by speaking with clients about diversity and inclusion and making proactive recommendations that can help steer them in a more inclusive direction.

Change isn’t always easy – but inclusivity is worth it

When your brand embarks on inclusive campaigns, it is possible that you’ll ruffle some feathers along the way and may even encounter calls for cancellation. It can be hard to come under fire – and even harder to withstand it. But ultimately, reasserting your brand’s perspective and displaying inclusivity is never a bad move.

Singaporean jeweller Poh Heng Jewellery has been lauded for its inclusive campaigns, such as 2018’s “A Journey of Trust,” which included images of real couples including two gay couples, and 2021’s “Created for Love,” which featured three brides from different ethnic backgrounds and religions.

While it is important to consider market demographics when building a campaign, it’s more important to consider your brand, your target audience, and what you stand for as a company. Even if there is backlash to a new, inclusive direction, you’ll be appealing to a group of people who perhaps have never felt acknowledged by your brand before – and there is immense power in that.

This article first appeared in Campaign Asia.

Need help with inclusive language? Talk to us: hello@mutant.com.sg

Many moons ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously quoted “the only constant in life is change” – and he was right. 

The world around us is constantly evolving and the only way to keep up is to change. On a personal level, we’re always changing something or the other – be it a snazzy haircut, a new diet or a whole new career direction.

The same logic applies to businesses as well. As companies grow and navigate changing circumstances, they need to make certain alterations along the way to remain competitive. Rebranding a company can be an opportunity to showcase these changes to the wider community and stakeholder network – but this is a huge (and sometimes risky) endeavour to undertake. 

So how should one go about this?

The psychology of branding

Before we discuss whether or not a company should rebrand, there’s a more important question to address first – what is a “brand” anyway? Famous marketer David Ogilvy described it as “the intangible sum of a product’s attributes”. In simple terms, it refers to the first thing that consumers think of when they hear the name of a company’s product or service.

Brands — much like people — have a distinct personality in the public eye. For instance, Apple is the cool guy with the latest gizmos, while McDonald’s is like an old friend who’s comforting and consistent. These associations develop in our minds over time and form the basis of our attachment to brands. They result from a combination of many things, but essentially it all boils down to three key factors – name, logo and colour. 

Don’t believe me? Ask anyone for the first thing that comes to mind when they hear Apple and McDonald’s and it’s very likely to be a half-eaten apple and a red-nosed clown.

Why change?

Over the years, many companies have made significant alterations to their brand identity in various ways. From Starbucks to Coca-Cola, many of today’s iconic brands started out with very different aesthetics.

More often than not, the main reason for a rebrand is because business leaders feel that the brand identity is outdated, creating a disconnect from its audiences. This happens when consumer preferences have changed and the brand’s persona needs to catch up in order to avoid losing market share.

Getting it right

One thing to bear in mind though is that rebranding exercises are not always successful. Marketing history is rife with examples of brands that have failed in their attempt to pull off a successful rebrand – and many have ended up losing customers or damaging their reputation.

Changing brand aesthetics barely scratches the surface of what needs to be done in a successful rebrand. From a communications perspective, the work starts with deep changes to the brand’s positioning and core messaging. But words are not always enough, which means that the company also needs to develop actionable steps to showcase their commitment towards transformation.  

Rebranding is an important business that needs proper time, attention and resources to meticulously plan and execute. Last year, we worked with brands including Singapore’s second largest telco M1 and leading Voice AI start-up AI Rudder to guide them through this process & secure epic results.

Get in touch at hello@mutant.com.sg to find out more about how we can support your rebranding plans and efforts!

It’s easy to believe that nothing bad will ever happen to a business…until it does. 

A good crisis communications strategy is one of the most valuable assets a business can have, but is often overlooked and set aside – until there’s an issue. 

To better understand why a crisis communications strategy is essential for any business, let’s look at what qualifies as a crisis.

What is a crisis? 

There are many well-known instances of businesses going through crises, including the infamous BP oil spill, the tragic disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH307, and the Cadbury scandal in Malaysia. However, even if the situation is more subtle, it can be considerably detrimental to an organisation. 

Generally, a crisis can be classified as any instance that threatens public safety, the reputation of an organisation or its industry, finances, and internal and external stakeholders.

There are many crises that could occur, ranging from internal conflicts and instances that become known to the public  to external circumstances such as natural disasters. These catastrophes  tend to occur with little to know warning, giving businesses short notice to react. Whether the crisis was caused due to internal or external circumstances, it’s critical for businesses to take control of the situation and  navigate the storm effectively. 

The importance of a well-rounded crisis strategy

When you think about crisis management, it’s likely that you are only thinking about public relations.  However, that’s just one piece of the puzzle. In a crisis situation, it is not only the public that is affected, but  everyone within the organisation too. A well-developed crisis management strategy conveys accurate information and key messages to all key stakeholders, including the CEO, stakeholders, and not to forget – all employees. 

If all communications are targeted at external stakeholders, there is always a possibility that employees themselves are misinformed. This poses a serious risk to the business’s reputation, which is why it is key to brief all stakeholders.

Key steps in a crisis management strategy 

Of course, the best thing to do is avoid a crisis, if possible. While some things are out of our control, other  crises only occur when an issue is not dealt with appropriately from a communications perspective, and then gets blown out of proportion. 

Hence, the first step to successfully resolving a crisis is having a good crisis management team onboard, consisting of communications professionals,  stakeholders, and designated spokespeople. By having a crisis comms strategy and team in place, many day-to-day problems can be managed quickly, correctly and seamlessly, before any major reputational damage can occur.

Of course, in the case that a crisis really cannot be avoided, it’s important for businesses to keep the following framework in mind: 

• Assessment 
  • Adopting a “shoot first and ask questions later” approach can feel right at the time, given the time and external pressure but it is one of the most detrimental approaches to a crisis.

Ensuring the situation is investigated and assessed is key to get to the bottom of the issue, and the first step in creating an effective messaging to navigate the storm. 

• Developing key messaging and stance 
  • Previously, we discussed the importance of all stakeholders being aligned –  and developing a crisis-specific key messaging framework and stance is the most effective way to do this.

Developing a clear and simple messaging will help all spokespersons and stakeholders get on the same page when representing the organisation and help reduce the chance of conflicting messages.

• Identify appropriate communications methods 
  • There are many ways to communicate during a crisis situation, and it is important to find the right channel to address all stakeholders. Identifying your audience will clarify how they need to be addressed. 

While a well-crafted press release can sometimes do the job, other situations would require letters, exclusive interviews or even press conferences to address stakeholders in an impactful manner. 

• Monitor and improve 
  • No matter how flawless your communications methods might be, not everyone is going to be onboard with it. It’s important to derive key learnings from crisis situations and continuously improve your crisis communications strategy. 

Need help navigating a crisis? We can help: hello@mutant.com.sg

While businesses across the globe have faced their fair share of challenges over the past two years, their customers and clients have had the same amount of time to reflect on and re-evaluate their beliefs, habits, and stance in many areas – and their relationship with brands is no exception.

In fact, a staggering 94% of consumers globally find that it’s important for brands that they engage with to have a strong purpose. This is particularly true for the APAC region, as consumers are found to be significantly less forgiving of brands, with 91% of Malaysian consumers and 89% of Singaporean consumers stating they would act against brands that they disagree with. 

This focus on reputation is echoed in the ICCO’s World PR Report 2020-2021, which summarised corporate reputation management as a key opportunity for PR professionals; it has seen the highest growth rate of all areas surveyed, with a 41% increase. After all, if a business’ reputation is accurately, appropriately and honestly communicated, it will show in their bottom line. The World Economic Forum says one quarter of a company’s market value can be directly linked to its reputation, and 87% of executives think reputational challenges are more important than other strategic risks. 

The problem is that nearly 40% of consumers state they distrust traditional advertising which ultimately requires social media to pick up the slack and drive a company’s marketing and communications efforts. 

Whether consumers trust social media or not, the reality is that people have grown increasingly reliant on organic and authentic testimonials – and social media is the quickest and most accessible gateway to exactly that. This then creates the true task for communicators – how do we nurture organic feedback and authentic conversation that is in line with our brand’s key messages and goals? How do we work together with our clients to create a reputation so strong, relatable, clear, and truthful that our customers are proud to carry our flags for us?

I believe that this is where the future of communication lies, and this is the conversation to be having with our clients. 

When customers choose which brand to engage with, they are influenced by a variety of factors, many of which we can safely say fall under the umbrella of ‘reputation’. Apple, for example, does this very well – dominating the consumer technology market for years now with devices that are priced at a premium, having gained the reputation of creating reliable and cutting-edge technology.

Tapping into the trendy green agenda, the company  recently removed the chargers from their new devices to reduce plastic waste (to the annoyance of pretty much everyone) – but carrying an iPhone is so closely tied to a superior lifestyle, that ultimately it doesn’t matter what they do. As the World’s Most Admired Company for the 14th year in a row, the status symbol its products carry continues to drive sales. 

While this is a great example of a solid and well-managed reputation that does all the work for the brand, let’s look at the potential disaster coming Dior’s way. 

French fashion house Dior has one of the most established reputations in the luxury fashion world, having delivered class and elegance since the 1940s. However, brand love is about to be put to the test, as its entire next men’s collection is a collaboration with Travis Scott – the youth-culture icon and rapper who is being at least partially blamed for his role in multiple deaths at the recent Astroworld festival in Texas. So far, Scott has released a brief statement, and there are more than 30 lawsuits pending against Scott and the festival organisers. 

So, where does this leave Dior in regards to managing its reputation? The company has yet to address its plans, but there are really only two options: proceed with launching the men’s wear line that is already in production, and prepare for the devastating social media backlash; or pull the plug. 

If it were my decision, based on the core principles of the future of communications – the increasing need to foster authentic, organic feedback that supports our brand’s reputation – the answer is very clear. Dior is all about class, and the classy thing to do is to pull the plug, all while communicating to the brand’s audiences that they simply could not proceed to support Scott, given the recent devastating events he has been a part of, despite the financial impact this will have on the business. 

While it’s a decision that will incur substantial monetary loss in the short-term, the long-term effect on Dior’s reputation will be positively received by Gen Z’s touchscreen warriors. It presents an opportunity for Dior to establish themselves among a new generation as a brand that is true to its values. 

So while consumers play the biggest part in developing a company’s reputation, the need to manage corporate reputation will never disappear –  and it’s our job to effectively communicate this to our clients and help them understand the importance of the work that we do. By helping them accept these new consumer realities, the importance of building a well-loved brand and a fail-safe crisis management strategy, as well as the financial benefits of building a solid and celebrated reputation, we will continue to establish great PR as one of the most valuable assets to businesses.

For communicators, the new reality is about becoming even more vigilant, attuned and proactive than ever, beating the media and information evolution to the punch with authentic messages and actions. 

Our strategies, relationships and landscape knowledge need to continue evolving to give us the biggest chance of ensuring client success. This means reimagining the way we communicate and being brave enough to advise on some tough decisions. 

While that is undoubtedly a difficult task, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. 

This blog was the winning entry for the PRCA APAC Future Leader’s Award 2021, and first appeared here.

Want to manage your brand’s reputation better? Talk to us: hello@mutant.com.sg

Coke versus Pepsi. Nike versus Adidas. Apple versus Android. 

Chances are you immediately picked a side. Here’s a question: hand on your heart, what makes these so different?

Sure, you could make a case for minor  variations between each product — Pepsi cola for example is known to be a bit sweeter than Coca-Cola – and you might even have a few valid points. But the differences themselves aren’t enough to substantiate how wildly divisive these brands can be. So what gives one an edge over the other? 

Two words: your brand. Brand marketing is powerful, and even more so in today’s world, where digital consumers are constantly bombarded by brand messages and advertising. According to PWC, 70% of consumers consider brand trust to be an essential factor in their buying decisions. 

Businesses know this — that’s why so many of them consider customer engagement and advocacy a top priority. But while that outward perspective is important, it’s equally crucial to turn the focus inward and think about your internal customers — your employees.

Whether it’s C-suite leadership living out brand values, or the impression your intern leaves with after their first day of work, being an authentic brand means truly living out your values through every interaction, and through every employee. 

Because when people trust your people, they’ll trust you.

Here’s how you can make that happen:

Start at the top

Talking the talk and more importantly, walking the talk is crucial to building authenticity. And this is especially necessary for your leadership team that represents the company in every interaction. Whether it’s in real life, media interviews, or even interactions with your customers on social media, authentic leaders pave the way for authentic brands.

A great global example is Walmart CEO Doug McMillion, who has almost a million followers on LinkedIn. McMillion uses the professional networking platform to share significant corporate updates in engaging ways. His Facebook page is filled with similar examples, such as this image of himself signing long-service certificates for Walmart staff. The post organically garnered many positive comments about his warm and authentic leadership, and how much he cares for his people.

As the individuals with the most public profiles, your C-Suite can benefit from proactive reputation management and strategic public relations (PR) and social media support. In fact, a report found that more than half of consumers want CEOs to have a personal presence on social media, allowing them to feel more accessible and human. If your C-Suite leadership succeeds in being authentic, personable, and believable, they can change the way consumers think about your brand.

Context matters

When it comes to inspiring brand trust, showing your customers that you care about their specific needs goes  a long way. This is particularly important for brands with global teams, who need to connect with and understand regional markets to capture local consumers. 

We’ve seen this play out in our work with global SaaS company Zendesk, where we helped build their share of voice in the region by developing hyper-local narratives from global flagship reports, clinching key interview and commentary opportunities in our media landscape. 

In the last year alone, we achieved a 40% increase in year-on-year coverage across top-tier mainstream and trade media titles, driving Zendesk’s global business messaging in our regional market.

Overall, a hyper-localised context plays a key role in resonating with local audiences. Tuning in to the demands of the region shows that you care about, and are deeply rooted in the immediate community, building a sense of solidarity between customer and brand.

The not-so-silent majority

While targeted PR solutions for key leadership and spokespeople can help build trust and credibility for your brand, your biggest potential for brand advocacy is, and will always be, your everyday employees. 

When you ensure that your employees feel valued at work, and that they are able to live out the brand values at the core of your organisation, you create the most compelling case for authenticity. The organic nature of this advocacy instills deep trust among your people and ultimately, in the people around them.

We work hard to do this at Mutant everyday, and were recently recognized as the Best Agency to Work For (mid-sized) by PRWeek Asia. And while the recognition is nice, it isn’t essential. If you value your people, it will show in the way they champion your brand. That’s how you build brand authenticity at every level.

Want to add to this conversation? Chat with us at hello@mutant.com.sg