Two more iconic Kiwi tech brands have ceased to exist this week.
On Tuesday, April 1 both the Ihug and Infinity Solutions brands were ”integrated„ into their new multinational parent companies - Vodafone and Fujitsu respectively.
As recently as last week Infinity still had its own website on which it was labelled ”A Fujitsu company„.
However, as from March 31 it has been struck off as a registered company with the Companies Office, while www.infinitysolutions.co.nz now directs to Fujitsu’s local site.
Ihug is still registered though, while Vodafone has kindly provided a special page to those entering the site through the now defunct www.ihug.co.nz where visitors are greeted with: ”Ihug customers, welcome to our place„.
A message then tells visitors that from April 1 the Ihug brand has been integrated with Vodafone, while there are links to the former ISP’s phone and broadband packages.
Vodafone also has a Post-it note inspired banner on its homepage and other pages on its site telling people looking for Ihug where to find the info they need. This is a nice touch, as inevitably there will be a few lost souls out there panicking that their ISP has disappeared.
However, Fujitsu does not show the same concern. After pointing the web browser at the old Infinity solutions webpage, you are directed automatically to the main Fujitsu site. But here there are no cutesy yellow ‘Looking for Infinity’ banners or an announcement about the change in branding.
If Fujitsu did announce the changes to customers, it did not CC the tech media, because only Computerworld’s super sleuth Randal Jackson had the story.
It is interesting how much multi-nationals pay to snap up established local brands such as Ihug and Infinity just to do away with them a few months later.
Is there no value in keeping a well-known name high regarded by local customers?
Meanwhile, the Ihug signage has come off its former HQ on Auckland’s Newton Road - a symbol of another homegrown brand that has disappeared from our skyline forever…
