The Consortium: “It is a proposal in line with the times, but we will decide after having discussed with all the interested parties”
PORTO CERVO. The historic symbol has reappeared on the website and social profiles of the Costa Smeralda Consortium, the one that since 1963 identifies the slice of Sardinia that Karim Aga Khan has transformed into one of the places of choice for international luxury tourism and the prime mover of the industry. Sardinian holidays, a fundamental role that it plays even now. The new logo, which was supposed to take its place, made a fleeting appearance. According to the management of the Consorzio Costa Smeralda led by Qatar, it should represent the leap into modernity. But it was overwhelmed with disputes and perplexities, including those of the municipal administration of Arzachena. The leaders of the Costa Smeralda have thus decided to slow down: stop at the new brand, waiting for a confrontation. Mario Ferraro, managing director of Smeralda Holding (the company that manages hotels, port, land and other properties former Aga Khan) and vice president of the Consortium explains: “We are sensitive to the opinion of public opinion, of the consortium members, of the municipal administration and of the mayor of Arzachena. We are aware that the logo is a common heritage and we intend to act respecting everyone’s sensitivity. We have not yet decided on the implementation of the new branding. The Consortium assembly was a first step. We will meet with the mayor next week and discuss it. The final decision will be taken after the discussion with the stakeholders of the territory ».
The new Costa Smeralda logo was presented on 31 July during the ordinary assembly of the Costa Smeralda Consortium. In the following days, it replaced the historical symbol – which recalls a rudder, the compass rose and a precious stone – in the pages of the online communication. «The new logo, a reinterpretation of the original logo – explained the press release on the outcome of the assembly – was created by preserving the original lines that have been filled in to obtain a more harmonious icon that also has better recognition and readability on all media. The circle guarantees continuity, while the intersecting geometries accentuate the perception of a precious stone, an elegant diadem that comes from a restyling obtained by simply adding color ». The proposal for the new logo, explains Ferraro, “is part of the plans for next year which, even if the votes of Smeralda Holding were removed, were approved by 87% of those present at the consortium assembly”. And among the yeses to the program of interventions, adds the manager, there are those of the Aga Khan’s brother and two companies of the Ismaili prince who founded the Costa Smeralda.
However, the new logo has sparked an avalanche of negative reactions. The historical symbol is considered an icon of the entire territory and its replacement was seen as an attack on its identity, as well as a sort of “damnatio memoriae” by Karim Aga Khan, which remains the yardstick for anyone who invests. in Costa Smeralda. Among the harshest reactions that of Claudio Miorelli, one of the managers who for decades has been closest to the Aga Khan in Porto Cervo and to the Meridiana airline. He called the change of the Costa Smeralda brand a huge mistake, underlining that the Consortium “is not a profit-making company, but an institution”. This concept reaffirms in a long open letter sent to the president of the Consortium, Renzo Persico, and published on social networks.
But everything, at the moment, suggests that there will be no “religious wars”. Mario Ferraro recalls that “large companies such as Fiat itself or Ferrari, for example, have revised their brands to keep up with the times” and that “the goal is the same”. But he also says that the Consortium wants to be in harmony “with the consortium members and with the municipal administration of Arzachena”. They will be “listened to with great attention and a shared path will be found”.