KEY POINTS:
In the world where media meets politics, three high-profile players are considering a new public relations venture, to begin this year.
It is understood that Sue Wood, Ian Fraser and Richard Griffin are all considering the formation of a new public relations and government relations company.
The move follows the approach of one large overseas client.
Griffin confirmed he was considering a business venture for when he returns from a European holiday in the middle of this year.
But he declined to discuss the matter further.
Well-placed sources say the project is likely to go ahead.
Sue Wood is a former president of the National Party, and was in the job when Robert Muldoon called the ill-fated snap election in 1984.
She has maintained a high-profile government relations-based PR agency called Sue Wood and Associates.
Ian Fraser, a former political interviewer, ran PR agency Consultus and became the frontman for the BNZ Bank.
More recently he made headlines with his walkout from his job as chief executive of TVNZ.
Griffin is a former political editor of RNZ, press secretary for former Prime Minister Jim Bolger and latterly political lobbyist for TVNZ.
All three are charming and politically astute.
But given the ill-feeling that led to Fraser's departure - not least the Government's reappointment of Ann Hercus to the TVNZ aboard against Fraser's wishes - you would imagine there could be some strained relations with the current Government.
Fraser is on business in Spain while Wood is apparently in the US.
Yahoo, says consortium
Independent advertising agency Consortium has picked up another Telecom account as it gets tight with the country's biggest advertiser.
Consortium has won a competitive pitch for the advertising account of the Yahoo!Xtra website, which in March takes over the Telecom website currently known as XtraMSN.
The media buying side of the business will be handled by another advertising independent, Glenda Wynyard.
Auckland-based Consortium is a small agency and has so far only eaten away at the outer edges of Telecom's $50 million-plus ad spend.
Consortium last July took from Saatchi & Saatchi the creative account for Telecom's online mall Ferrit.co.nz.
Consortium staff include some former executives at Saatchi & Saatchi, and Saatchi will be looking askance at this upstart with attitude.
Telecom points out that this was not a loss for Saatchi & Saatchi.
Yahoo taking over the website is a whole new venture and Saatchi was competing for a new account.
While Telecom struggled with the content side of the business, Yahoo is playing a much bigger role in the content for Yahoo!Xtra.
The advertising pitch was considered by Yahoo! in Sydney and the website is expected to have a younger, more aggressive approach than it has in the past.
Officially there were only two players in the pitch - Consortium and Saatchi & Saatchi - but we hear some other agencies were also invited to present their ideas.
Consortium's offices near Karangahape Rd are just a stone's throw from the nearby Auckland headquarters of Telecom.
Ferrit up your trousers
Consortium managing director Paul Shale played down the growing relationship with Telecom, saying it was taking it one account at a time.
But Saatchi headquarters across town will be shoring up their continued hold on the vast bulk of Telecom's ad business.
The loss of Ferrit.co.nz could have been worse for Saatchi but its media division, Starcom, retained the media buying for Ferrit.
Consortium's television commercials for Ferrit featuring the daffy chap have proved incredibly popular.
Telecom has said the commercials are a major factor in the online mall catching on.
Which must be a worry. There are a lot of people in the retail sector who question whether the business model for Ferrit makes sense.
Will advertising be enough to make Ferrit work?
Saatchi need not worry too much. It has a much firmer hand on the Telecom business than it did under the old management three years ago. Under Saatchi chief executive Andrew Stone and executive creative director Mike O'Sullivan, the company has turned around the bad old creative that was leading Telecom toward the exit door.
It was not unreasonable for Telecom to get itchy feet.
Its arch-rival in mobile phones, Vodafone, has overtaken it to become the biggest provider.
Many of those problems were due to the somewhat dysfunctional state of the Telecom marketing department five years ago.
The Telecom and Saatchi relationship goes back decades, to the days of the grinning meerkats.
Insiders say that close relationship has been due in part to the rapport between Telecom CEO Theresa Gattung and New Zealander Kevin Roberts, who is the global president of Saatchi & Saatchi.
Another important piece of Saatchi firepower with Telecom is Cindy Mitchener, an advertising consultant and former joint managing director of Saatchi.
In the old days she was close to Gattung and, when things got tough three or four years ago, was hired as a liaison between the two companies.
With Gattung going and a new CEO on the way, everybody will be watching developments closely.
New roles for stars
Another trusted confidante of Gattung, former Telecom Communications boss John Goulter, has been appointed public relations manager for the Inland Revenue Department.
Also, newly established Star Public Relations has hired Jill Dryden for the agency.
She is a former managing director of Porter Novelli New New Zealand's Auckland office and more recently managing partner of Public Mojo Group's PR arm, Publicis Drum.
