What are some trends that mattered to SEA audiences (and the media) in 2024?
Tracking industry trends, and learning what audiences and the media have to say about them, is a large part of what we do at Isentia. With that in mind, we’ve gathered together 5 of the most interesting ones we spotted this year in South East Asia, to hone in how the region reflects (and defies) global trends.
SEA audiences buck global veganism trends amid a broader decline
Over the past five years, mentions of veganism have experienced a noticeable global decline across major markets like the USA, UK, and Australia. However, Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore and Malaysia, buck this trend by maintaining steady interest in veganism. Singapore’s relatively higher mentions compared to neighbouring countries suggest a niche but engaged demographic focused on plant-based living. This suggests that audiences in Singapore, with access to a range of gastronomic options and consistent cultural exchange with other communities, are open to embracing a greener lifestyle, although adapting to this lifestyle can be more of a challenge for other Southeast Asian countries with strict dietary preferences.
Nice-to-haves still drive most SEA conversation around BNPL
With an increased penetration of mobile phones in the region, Buy Now Pay Later apps have started to thrive, giving an illusion of affordability to younger generations. The breakdown of BNPL transactions reveals that electronic gadgets dominate consumer spending, followed by health and beauty products. While this incremental spending is positive for the economy, the significant reliance on credit and BNPL schemes highlights concerns about consumer financial health. These insights present dual opportunities for brands to align strategic campaigns in consumer goods categories like electronics and beauty products, while also addressing concerns around responsible spending.
We can benchmark this conversation against what is taking place in the UK, for instance, where the conversation skews towards borrowing for essentials, specifically household bills, medical bills and automotive payments. Media discussions suggest increased calls for regulation and consumer transparency.
Singapore maintains image as “global hub” throughout fractious geopolitical period
The Singapore brand has been receiving global attention, whether it’s talk around how efficient the public transport is or the way that Singapore dealt with Covid-19. When we look at associations that most resonate with Singapore globally, words like “cosmopolitan” and “innovation” dominate in the US, UK, and Australia. Malaysia’s perception mirrors this positivity but places slightly more emphasis on structural integrity and rule of law. This uniformity in perception presents an excellent opportunity to reinforce Singapore’s positioning, where the government is trying its best to mirror what the world expects of the city-state. PR & Comms professionals must leverage these strengths through storytelling or partnerships that can solidify Singapore’s brand equity on the global stage.
Singapore GP narratives extend far beyond the glamour of the sport itself
This chart highlights how specific narratives dominated online conversations leading up to the Singapore Grand Prix, including accessibility to the venue, themed events, and pop music excitement. This suggests how media coverage builds up anticipation and excitement amongst audiences towards the sport. Peaks in mentions suggest that audience interest surged around logistical convenience like public transport and viewing spots as well as entertainment offerings like musical acts and innovative culinary experiences. Leveraging audience intelligence, we understand that there is more to the event than glamour, emphasising emotional and logistical appeal, and that it provides an opportunity for partner brands to gain audiences to maximise engagement during high-impact events such as these.
Alternative voices focus on government policies and influence of public discourse as dominant narratives in SEA
The chart highlights key narratives from a selection of top alternative voices in Southeast Asia, and their impact on shaping public opinion. A dominant theme is the influence of social circles in shaping personal and public narratives. This trend underscores the power of peer networks in driving sentiment and perceptions, often overshadowing traditional sources of influence.
Additionally, issues such as disillusionment with governance and perceptions of exploitation by multinational corporations are gaining traction in a city-state with rising costs of living. For communicators, these findings emphasise the importance of audience intelligence for understanding how communities talk to one another, who act as information brokers, and what topics there is most appetite to learn about.
These insights illustrate how monitoring media trends and audience sentiment equips brands to better anticipate shifts in consumer behavior, refine their messaging, and build deeper connections with their audiences. In a region like Southeast Asia, where cultures and lifestyles are heterogenous, this becomes even more pronounced.
The C-suite is now expected to be the face of the brand, the primary storyteller, and a digital thought leader. But despite the pressure to post more, engagement on executive content is plummeting.
Why? Because in a feed flooded with AI-generated thought leadership and corporate updates, audiences have developed a "BS detector." They are scrolling past and looking for something else.
In our recent "Future of Measurement" webinar, Prashant Saxena, VP of Revenue & Insights, SEA, pinpointed that it’s not about posting more, but about getting real. Being authentic is a daily ritual, it’s not just a buzzword.
Where do C-Suite leaders go wrong?
Why do so many capable leaders struggle to build traction on LinkedIn?
1. The "corporate bot" syndrome
Many executives treat LinkedIn like a press release distribution channel. Their posts are perfectly grammatically correct, sanitized by three layers of PR approval, and utterly devoid of personality. If your post sounds like it could have been written by any CEO in any industry, it’s not doing its job.
2. Delegating too much
It is standard practice for executives to have ghostwriters. However, the mistake lies in delegating the perspective. When a leader completely hands off their LinkedIn presence to a team without providing personal voice notes, opinions, or raw thoughts, the content feels hollow. Audiences waste no time in picking up how artificial something reads or sounds.
3. Broadcasting, not engaging
Many "Creator CXOs" view social media as a megaphone rather than a telephone. They drop a piece of "thought leadership" and leave. They don't reply to comments, they don't engage with other creators, and they don't show up in the messy, human conversations happening in the comments section.
The ritual of being authentic: A 3-step framework
During the webinar, Prashant broke down the solution into a "daily ritual of authenticity." It’s a practical framework to move from being a "corporate bot" to "trusted leader."
1. Signal the Right Values: Values mean more than titles
The Shift: Instead of sharing company wins ("We hit Q3 targets!"), share the why behind the decisions.
The Tactic: When you post about a new initiative, explain the difficult trade-offs you faced or the core value that drove the decision. What was the moral compass of the decision made?
2. Share the "Behind-the-Scenes": Perfection is intimidating; progress is inspiring.
The Shift: Move away from only posting the "highlight reel."
The Tactic: Share the messy middle. Did a product launch almost fail? Did you have to pivot your strategy? Posting about a challenge you are currently navigating (or recently overcame) invites empathy and engagement that a polished success story never will.
3. Leverage Third-Party Proof Points: Validation is stronger when it comes from others.
The Shift: Stop being the only one talking about how great your company is.
The Tactic: Elevate the voices of your employees, customers, and partners. Repost an employee’s win with your personal commentary on why you’re proud of them. It shows you are listening and that your leadership has a tangible impact on real people.
C-Suite leaders who “get it”
Who is actually doing this well? Here are a few leaders who have mastered the art of engagement by being human first and executives second.
1. Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft)
Why he wins: Signaling values. Satya rarely posts generic corporate updates. His content is deeply philosophical and tied to his core mission of empathy and empowerment. Even when discussing AI or cloud computing, he frames it through the lens of human impact. He doesn't just sell Microsoft; he sells a worldview that people want to align with.
2. Melanie Perkins (CEO, Canva)
Why she wins: Behind-the-Scenes reality. Melanie is famous for sharing the rejection letters and the "no's" she received in the early days of Canva. By sharing the struggle, she makes her massive success feel earned and relatable. She frequently highlights the culture and the team (the "Canvanauts") rather than just her own accolades.
3. Ryan Holmes (Founder, Hootsuite)
Why he wins: Third-party proof & engagement. Ryan understands the platform mechanics. He uses polls, asks questions, and champions other entrepreneurs. He frequently shines a spotlight on industry trends that validate his company's mission without being overtly salesy. He acts as a curator of industry wisdom.
The bottom line
As Prashant Saxena highlighted, reputation is a downstream outcome of an upstream habit.
If you want to fix your engagement, sounding like a "Creator CXO” does a lot of harm to one’s personal brand. Starting to sound like a person who happens to be a CXO would be so much better.
Interested in viewing the whole recording? Watch our webinar here.
Alternatively, contact our team to learn more insights into meaningful measurement, KPIs and communicating using the right dataset.
"
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Blog
Why is CXO engagement dropping (and how to fix it)?
We explore how CXOs can move from a corporate bot to a trusted leader and improve their personal branding online.
The media landscape is accelerating. In an era where influence is ephemeral and every angle demands instant comprehension, PR and communications professionals require more than generic technology—they need intelligence engineered for their specific challenges.
Isentia is proud to introduce Lumina, a groundbreaking suite of intelligent AI tools. Lumina has been trained from the ground up on the complex workflows and realities of modern communications and public affairs. It is explicitly designed to shift professionals from passive media monitoring back into the role of strategic leaders and pacesetters.
“The PR, Comms and Public Affairs sectors have been experimenting with AI, but most tools have not been built with their real challenges in mind.” said Joanna Arnold, CEO of Pulsar Group.
“Lumina is different; it is the first intelligence suite designed around how narratives actually form today, combining human credibility signals with machine-level analysis. It helps teams understand how stories evolve, filter out noise and respond with context and confidence to crises and opportunities.”
Setting a new standard for PR intelligence
Lumina is centered on empowering, not replacing, the human element of communications strategy. This suite is purpose-built to help PR, Comms, and Public Affairs professionals significantly improve productivity, enhance message clarity, and facilitate early risk detection.
Lumina enables communicators to:
Understand & Interpret: Move beyond basic alerts to strategically map the trajectory and spread of narrative evolution.
Focus & Personalise: Achieve the clarity necessary to execute strategic action before critical moments pass.
We are launching the Lumina suite by making our first module immediately available: Stories & Perspectives.
In the current fragmented, multi-channel media environment, communications professionals need to be able to instantly perceive not just how a story is growing, but also how it is being perceived across different stakeholder groups.
Stories & Perspectives organizes raw media mentions into clustered, cohesive Stories, and the Perspectives that exist within each, reflecting distinct media, audience, and public affairs angles. This unique functionality allows users to:
Rise above the noise: Instantly identify which high-level topics are gaining momentum or fading from attention.
Get to the detail, fast: Uncover the influential voices, niche communities, and specific channels actively shaping the narrative.
Catch the pivot point: Precisely identify the moment a story shifts—from a strategic opportunity to a reputation risk—or when a new key opinion former begins guiding the conversation.
"Media isn’t a stream of mentions," said Kyle Lindsay, Head of Product at Pulsar Group. "But rather a living system of stories shaped by competing perspectives. When you can see those structures clearly, you gain the ability to understand issues as they form, anticipate how they’ll evolve, and act with precision. That’s what we mean when we talk about AI built for communicators, and that's what an off-the-shelf LLM can't give you."
The Lumina Roadmap: AI tools for the future of comms
The launch of Stories & Perspectives is the first release of many. Over the upcoming months, we will systematically roll out the full Lumina roadmap, introducing a comprehensive set of AI tools engineered to handle every phase of the communications lifecycle.
The full Lumina suite will soon incorporate:
Curated media summaries: AI-driven daily summaries customized specifically to the priorities of senior leadership, highlighting only the most relevant stories.
Reputation analysis: Advanced measurement tracking how critical themes like ethics, innovation, and leadership are statistically shaping corporate perception.
Press release & media relations assistant: Tools designed to accelerate content creation and craft hyper-focused, personalized pitches that reach the precise contacts faster.
Predictive intelligence layer: Technology engineered to track and anticipate story momentum and strategic change before the window of opportunity closes.
Intelligent agents: Background agents continuously scanning all media channels for emerging key spokespeople and previously undetected reputation risks.
Enhanced audio, broadcast & crisis detection: Complete, real-time oversight of all channels—including audio and broadcast—enabling rapid context building and optimal crisis response delivery.
Want to harness the power of Lumina AI for your PR, Comms, or Public Affairs team? .
Complete the form below to register your interest.
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Blog
Announcing Lumina: The purpose-built AI suite for PR, Comms, and Public Affairs
An intelligent suite of AI tools trained on the language, workflows, and realities of modern public relations and communications.
