HK's Web Connection unveils new branding

<p>Web Connection unveiled its new branding, Ion Global, as its parent </p><p>company and internet conglomerate chinadotcom announced a 15 per cent </p><p>cut of its 2,400 strong work-force by the end of June this year </p><p>following plans to sell non-core assets in a bid to reduce costs. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The rebranding is seen as an effort by the company to distance itself </p><p>from the limitations and negative coverage associated with the group's </p><p>image. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ion Global president and Chief Operating Officer, Steve McKay, said that </p><p>while it was unfortunate the rebranding had coincided with chinadotcom's </p><p>announcement to slash staff numbers, it was not Ion Global's objective </p><p>to move away from the chinadotcom name. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It has always been an advantage for us to be associated with the </p><p>chinadotcom name. These 400 people are essentially still going to be </p><p>employed, but just not by chinadotcom. Our philosophy is to focus on our </p><p>core business that makes the company work and spin off the non-core </p><p>parts of the business by selling them off," said McKay. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The rebranding, which was originally scheduled for October last year, </p><p>was delayed due to internal discussions and further development of the </p><p>brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>McKay added that the delay worked to Ion Global's advantage. "There was </p><p>just so much hype about the internet and late last year, the only news </p><p>we read was bad news. Had we rebranded at that time, there would have </p><p>been different publicity." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The word Ion was a suggestion from a company staff member in Shanghai </p><p>and described as "a charged element that never rests, it seeks balance </p><p>and completion". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Through a year-long development process, an international branding </p><p>committee also short listed the name, deciding on Ion Global and the </p><p>colour gold yellow. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The name Web Connection had always been problematic for us. It sounded </p><p>like a small web design company. We had evolved from this, yet the </p><p>perception in the market remained the same. We wanted our name to </p><p>accurately describe what we do. The aim was to create the right </p><p>perspection in the market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Web Connection was also strongly associated with Hong Kong, but when </p><p>you consider the locations we have offices in, you can see we have </p><p>clearly gone global," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The plus sign on the company's new logo represents the four competencies </p><p>- strategy, technology, user experience and marketing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>McKay said Ion Global would continue to target traditional, </p><p>multinational clients, such as HSBC and GE. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company was established in 1995, and according to McKay, over the </p><p>past six years, it has lost only a single management executive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ion Global has offices in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, </p><p>Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, the UK and the US. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>