HK's Web Connection unveils new branding

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

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