Monday, February 23, 2009

Troubled Fox?

Fox, the PR outfit led by former MSM top editors Wong Sulong and Brenden Pereira, could be running out of luck soon. One of their most lucrative "cows", Sime Darby, has effectively terminated its contract, I was told.
That contract, according to Sime Darby Watch, was worth RM250,000 a month. I have asked my sources, who said it's "slightly less" than that.
Fox still handles the various economic corridors initiated during the Abdullah Administration.
Fox was a work of magic and is probably the most financially succcesful PR outfits Malaysia has ever seen [over RM100 million billings during its short existence, according to a source, but I won't bet too much money on it].
What's clear is that the country's PR industry will never be the same again after the Foxes slip and slide away after March.

36 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:02 pm

    dont worry too much though - there will soon be new ones....and in all probablility larger and with bigger appetites too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:47 pm

    Last month or so, the cabinet decided that every ministry is to have a new Corporate Comms Unit. It is to be headed by people from outside the govt service. Present Corporate Comm units are to be disbanded.

    MR

    ReplyDelete
  3. 250,000 retainer a month.
    i wouldn't be too worried to go out of business by march.
    that's a lot of savings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.
    The quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog.

    If Pak Lah could do like 100 lines a day, he can improve his typing and start blogging.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5:25 pm

    No offence meant but I think this PR agency did not do a good job and proper follow ups, for the client, in handling the crisis management that has developed to a confusing state.

    The response can be clearly seen by the counter attacks from the opposite camps.

    But, as with the changing of guards expected soon, we could also expect a change of PR agency for the better or worse.

    A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous6:03 pm

    This PR outfit has been setup to fox the public's money. A perfect front for leakages from Sime Darby.

    How does one put a troubled fox out of its misery?

    Skin it alive. Its fur is still good for a neck warmer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6:32 pm

    Bru,

    The fox may be cunning but the hound is instictive.

    The sand castle was built below the tide line.

    When the tide rises, the castle falls.

    Wong Sulong is a good man. But his reputation tatters like a shredded flag in the wind.

    Why he associates with Pereira I don't know.

    Longman

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous7:19 pm

    Bro,

    Musang masuk dalam reban in English is the fox in the chicken coop. Or kalu American 'the fox in the chicken house'.

    In Chinese if you say the fox entered the kai house, it could mean something else entirely.

    Bro, Najib really has to put an end to all this when he takes over. Jangan pula 'Fox' replaced with anything else that rhymes with it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous7:34 pm

    Rocky, since Fox's contract has been terminated, that means Sime Darby's Communication unit headed by Leela Barrock will have to do the job of rebuilding Sime Darby's good name by itself.

    The goodwill of Sime Darby has definitely taken a beating in recent months. How Leela is going to do this is interesting.

    Definitely she needs good and qualified people from outside and inside Sime Darby to help her bring up the good name of the group again. I hope she's already doing this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bro, For a fraction of the RM100 billings, many of us can spin even better and faster than that lot :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous8:09 pm

    rocky
    Fox must be creating history with the amount of billings....they must be among the world's most successful PR agency in terms of profit and walloping what is available.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Life of crooks
    It never lives so far
    A short term glory
    The splashes of fame and wealth
    Finally the hollowness
    Then it surely disappears

    Likewise in business
    Playing tricks and dirty arms twisting
    Giving names for personal benefits
    Without the correct pathways
    In the end it will collapse

    The crafty ways
    These people think they are good
    Building up wealth
    Without solid foundation
    When the twister blows
    Nothing is left
    Only the nakedness of lost dreams

    History has said
    In modern times we have seen plenty
    Yet these people never learn
    God works His magic

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous10:14 pm

    Fox don't mind getting their contract terminated. They got millions in their coffers. Part of it came from Sime Darby.

    p/s: why are you not writing about Johan Jaafar's arrival on NSTP shores and the imminent departure of Hishamuddin Aun, Manja Ismail & S.Nazri

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous12:01 am

    Tak menghairankan agensi macam fox yang setahun jagung dapat RM250,000 sebulan? Zubir Murshid tak nak siasat ke siapa yang approve RM250,000 ni?

    Orang yang bijaksana macam Musa Hitam & Zubir tak terigin ke nak tahu apa hebatnya Fox sampai dibayar RM250k.

    Kita semua nak tahu, Musa Hitam ooi. Hebat sangat ke Fox ini sampai Sime Darby bayar suku juta sebulan. Empat bulan RM1 juta.

    Atau kita minta saja BPR siasat kenapa sampai suku juta. Siapa yang luluskan? BPR tak teringin nak tau ke?

    Atau BPR kata tak ada laporan. Di Malaysia ni BPR tunggu laporan baru siasat. Tak ada laporan, goyang kaki.

    Atau BPR takut nak siasat Fox & Sime Darby kerana takut pada orang atas. Biasalah, takut pada jerung. Ikan bilis macam kita selalu dibaham BPR.

    Nasib kita lah.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12:24 am

    What do you expect from fox(es)- they curi ayam all the time. This was what I was told by my Std 1 Cik Gu.

    Ahem

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous1:52 am

    Kepada semua pemain2 politik dan pemimpin2 di Malaysia yang semakin terserlah kebodohannya.Aku dah bosan la bodoh!!!
    Tidakkah kamu sedar kebodohan kamu itu akan menjahanamkan bangsa, agama & negara kamu?Bodoh!!!
    Apa kamu ingat kuasa & harta kamu itu akan di bawa masuk kedalam lubang kubur kamu nanti bila kamu mati?Bodoh!!!
    Apa kamu ingat sejarah akan menghargai kamu sekiranya Malaysia ni lingkup? Jangan berangan la bodoh, jangan syok sendiri la bodoh!!!
    Jangan la terlalu berpolimik, huhahuha kesana kesini bercakap merapu-rapu,aku dah nak termuntah meluat melihat wayang kamu semua!!!Kamu semua memang spesis bodoh!!!
    Kamu tahu tak aku dah jarang2 tengok berita sekarang ni? Sebab kamu semua la...Aku rasa rugi tak tengok berita tapi aku dah tak sanggup nak tengok. Sebab apa? Sebab kamu semua la bodoh!!!
    Kamu semua kudakan undang2, peraturan2, perlembagaan, kononnya kamu cerdik, kononnya kamu la pakar tapi nak tahu tak? Kamu bodoh!!!Kamu tak nampak ke yang negara semakin berpecah2, bangsa makin berlaga2, jenayah makin berleluasa? Sebab itulah aku kata kamu semua bodoh!!!
    Tahu tak kita semua ni sedang berundur ke belakang? Aku nak ke depan la bodoh, bangang, bebal!!!
    Aku rasa kalau di teruskan dengan keadaan sekarang ni memang kita akan berjaya. Berjaya melahirkan ramai lagi badut2 sarkas yang memang kerjanya menghiburkan penonton2 dengan jenaka2 bodoh!!!
    Bangkitla bodoh!!!

    "Sebodoh2 tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke bodoh juga"


    Masri Uka

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous2:19 am

    Bro, who is this guy Wong Sulong and the other one, they sound familiar.

    And with 250,000 rm a month or thereabout for few news in media and holding ceremonies, that's good source of income. How come I can't get it, I could do the same with that news and ceremonies, after all nothing has taken place on ground. So why worry about being sued you for unfinished products, as a matter of fact I have done the job for those grand news.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous2:36 am

    brenden and wong are fronts i am sure albeit some shares that they hold plus another mamak CEO who runs around for the real majority owners... i am sure you know who the real sifus are behind the sly fox...

    foxy cleopatra

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous6:30 am

    On a related matter, don't get smart with Tony D ok. No Labu means bye-bye KLIA/LCCT/Sepang and thank you Changi.

    With the economy of Singapore in the dumps and with more shit in the economic horizon, Air Asia's impending relocation which is now in the works appears to be the only rose on the garbage heap.

    Hip, Hip, Hooray Kuan Yew !

    Taxi Driver

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous8:34 am

    Hi Bru, Fox media have not been outfoxed yet coz Kali n gang are still getting the support of the Red Dot down south to fund his clandestine operations here. What more with Malaysian Insider doing a good job for the Red Dot exposing everything bad about Umno and Barisan Nasional. You don't get to see anything negative about Temasik or their pay masters. Wonder if Najib can do much to stop Kali n Gang!

    BTW, Kali's running dogs at NSTP are still doing his bidding by not playing up Tony Labu's LCCT project cancelled by Najib.
    Sleepy Syed Nazri (just like his Badawi boss) as usual is not aware of many things at NST while Hisham Aun is busy maintaining his new look of dyed hair.
    Hisham Aun was having fun at Noh Omar's media night when Badawi was giving a talk at Business Club event. Hisham Aun has now abandoned Badawi and bitching about Kali and Brendan everywhere he goes. Anak K.L..G n anak P.R..H...#*@&!

    BB

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous8:45 am

    What goes around comes around. Sepandai-pandai si Fox melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga..

    Survivor

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous9:56 am

    Ha ha.. they have been outfoxed! Tell the foxy folks in Fox to go foxtrotting elsewhere..maybe Brenden can dance his way back to Singapore?

    ex-journo

    ReplyDelete
  23. I wonder what the so called SPRM can or gonna do anything about it?

    Sometimes BN people talk about fair and justice without using their head and assuming Malaysians from all walk of life are just a bunch of dungu's!

    The way they robbed makes us wonder whether these people believe in God and Religion in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:35 am

    Rocky,

    It's normal for any "instant" company in this world.

    The only business that can survive long is instant food.

    Let us see if Temasek can help them.

    Heard that even LKY's daughter in law - the CEO of Temasek also have left the office.

    ReplyDelete
  25. All these fly-by-night hundreds of millions of $ gobbling vampiracle entities rise and fall in tandem with the fortunes of their political masters and affiliations!

    Who is to be held accountable for thid wastage of taxpayers and shareholders funds? The sleeping PM, Sil, The Mullah?

    How are they able to get away with it? This is what I Polis Raja and the Assiciation For Corruption should be investigating and not 'sex against the order of nature' or 'cows and cars' charges.

    Our enforces of law and order have no system of prioritising their work at all!!
    http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous11:47 am

    Quick, somebody lodge a report with the MACC.

    RM250,000 a month is crazy.

    But you know what? I think after this, people with connections to the new regime will get the Sime Darby account.

    Of course they will be paid less, but not much less.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous12:04 pm

    Rocky, i dont think tun musa should be blamed for this. He doesnt suffer fools easily, brother! in fact musa hitam was the one who put a stop to all this. Musa Hitam said nothing doing and terminated fox's contract, much to zubir murshid's anger. Zubir confronted musa and told him that his chairmanship was non-executive and later the MOF instructed Zubir to reinstate FOX but Musa remained steadfast.
    You must dig up FCB media's role behind this. FCB media run by American Alan Friedman, an associate of Kamal Khalid and Kalimullah. He's based in Italy, and billed SIME for RM88 million for the last three years and RM30 billed for the merger exercise alone. FCB's strategic alliance with fox media does not include fox's bill. Friedman, no relation to Thomas your friend, is also involved with the Iskandar region.

    - looloo -

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous1:20 pm

    Teringat cerita "the fox and the sour grapes"...lepas ni mesti diaorg kutuk Sime darby pulak mcm fox tu.

    MR

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous1:44 pm

    aku dah pass maklumat ini kat member aku bahagian risikan di LHDN nanti diorang check auta ke betul..

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous1:54 pm

    Longman,

    Wong Sulong is a sorry excuse of a man. I hope he chokes on it ...

    Then again, what's a little dead fox? He can savour his Bondi Beach house even if everything here is dust.

    kitsunegari

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous2:30 pm

    Agence France-Presse - 2/24/2009
    "Abdullah told a public forum late Monday that he planned to devote himself to fishing, gardening and planting trees when he steps aside in favour of deputy premier Najib Razak on March 31.
    The prime minister, who is being squeezed out after disastrous results in general elections a year ago, said he may also have some sort of official role but that it would not conflict with the new leadership."

    uh-oh.

    he just tak paham paham.

    -ImranAnakSiRahman-

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous5:05 pm

    Dear Public Relations consultant.

    Why don't you lodge a report with MACC?

    Don't ask people to do it and you chicken out and hide in your coop.

    Prove that you have balls.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous12:16 pm

    Bru,

    If both the Chairman & CEO admitted their bad PR performance, may I ask what was that RM250,000.00 per month for?

    Orang Lama

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous4:16 pm

    Rocky,

    Wow...RM 250,000 retainer fee per month is something that we cannot comprehend. How did this amount get past the Auditors or more importantly the Board. So it is either the Board is sleeping or they have a stake in the amount. Well something that should be made known to the public.

    The question....who authorises the appointment of FCB and what were the terms of their appointment and their scope of work. Are they supposed to lobbyists as well....to lobby for more lucrative deals for Sime Darby. Or does any portion out of the RM 250,000 also act as regular "incentive" for certain quarters.

    Whatever it is the truth should prevail...and even though their contract has not been extended certainly they should not be let off easily.....we need to know where the money goes to!!

    Concerned Malaysian

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous9:56 am

    wong sulong was a big ball carrier in the star and he also expects the same from his subordinates. he angered many experienced journalists and when he left he did not have the goodwill support.

    Many newsmen boycotted his clients' functions. That's why sometimes it can be a liability when you are a group chief editor especially when your name stinks.

    When you are in power you throw your weight around but when you need people's help you get nuts.

    Over-selling your yourself or your company with hefty billings without good service won't last and the result is an early exit. simple as that!

    ReplyDelete