Communications Strategy in 2026: How Startups in Southeast Asia Can Build Lasting Brand Impact

As startups across Southeast Asia plan their communications strategy for 2026, they face a multitude of challenges. Alongside the much-maligned changing funding landscape and crowded startup markets, consumer habits have also shifted drastically.

The consumer of today has the lowest average attention span ever recorded in humans. Add to this the rise of ‘AI slop’, and you have the perfect cocktail to erode trust.

In such an environment, how can startups stand out and build their brands to ensure lasting impact?

What ‘lasting brand impact’ actually means in 2026

So far, communications strategies have looked at only one metric for success - visibility. Visibility is important, no doubt. When no one sees you, no one knows you. 

Where many communicators go wrong is that they treat visibility as the be-all end-all. The function of communications neither starts nor ends with visibility. 

Lasting brand impact means much more. If your communications strategy fails to address the following, you are losing to someone else who does:

• Memorability: When people find my content, does it actually stick?

• Credibility: Are we a trusted name in the industry?

• Searchability: When someone searches for leaders in my industry, does my company show up?

• Conversion: How do I ensure communications supports my sales process? 

  
  

In essence, when planning your content, messaging, and distribution, stop and ask yourself four questions:

• Who is my audience? Do I understand their considerations and pain points?

• Is my content resonating with the audience? Or is it what I want to push out?

• Are my tactics the correct ones for my purposes?

• Do my messages clearly convey our value proposition?

  
  

These are common pitfalls for communications strategists, and can often be overlooked. 

The three channels to build a modern communications strategy

Over the years, communications has evolved. It moved from the initial approach of spreading a wide net to hyper-personalization over the last decades. In 2026, the optimum strategy sits at an intersection between the two. Why? 

Consumers still want to see personalized content, but they also have multiple sources to consume such content. In short, generic content doesn’t get you anywhere, and neither does a narrow net. 

Today, a good communications strategy focuses on multiple channels at once. The three most common ones are:

Public Relations 

Despite what you might have thought, PR is most certainly not dead. Its role has simply changed. 

PR as a function now plays in the field where it is strongest - credibility. Do you want to position yourself as a thought leader? Investors, regulators, and other important stakeholders are more likely to trust a top-tier media than they are to trust your owned channels. 

Additionally, AI searches prioritise data and information from sources with a higher domain authority score. Coverage in prominent media helps you build searchability. 

Social Channels

Social channels like LinkedIn enable direct communication with your audience. 

Want to build your employer brand? You can communicate directly with prospective hires. Want to build thought leadership? Perhaps long-form articles are the way to go. 

The key to a successful LinkedIn strategy is to identify and involve the ambassadors. Multiple voices need to move coherently. Use the corporate account to adopt a more corporate tone, and use your spokespeople as peer voices. 

Influencers

Influencers still hold an important role in communications strategies, for both B2C and B2B companies. 

While people will no longer buy whatever influencers tell them to, they give you a trusted peer voice that directly resonates with your niche. The playbook has shifted from ‘spray and pray’ to tailored and intentional. 

The secret lies in selecting the correct ones to represent your brand. You do not need 20 big influencers, but three consistent ones. 

Defining communications success

Communications success in 2026 differs for each business. Why? Because communications is now the same as every other element of your company, it exists to serve your business.

A successful communications campaign does not necessarily generate the highest Share of Voice or the highest Reach or the highest PR Value. It fixes a business problem. 

A campaign aimed at reaching investors works very differently from one aimed at supporting conversion. The former requires credibility and targeted outreach, while the latter needs curated messaging and increased searchability. 

• Our advice - let go of the typical metrics, and start mapping your activity to your objectives. Yes, the old metrics are easier to handle, but they lack colour. The world of communications in 2026 is going to depend on context. What works for one might never work for another. 

  
  

If you want to build a 2026-ready communications strategy that actually delivers results, reach out to us at: contact@mahouconsulting,com