Although the conventional public relations mantra dictates that, like children, the publicist should neither be seen nor heard, it’s always rewarding when media takes positive note of a special role played by one of us.

Such was the case when then “Miami Herald” travel editor Jay Clarke headlined a three-column story “Months of planning make ship’s arrival a splash,” lauding our agency’s efforts during the successful introduction of Royal Caribbean cruise Line’s first mega cruise ship, Sovereign of the Seas.

He credited the Newman agency with planning and executing a highly newsworthy inaugural event that resulted in major national media coverage.

Reporting that “all the preparation paid off with 11,000 showing up to cheer on the Sovereign … and the media — the target of all this organized hoopla — got a story and picture it liked,” Clarke noted that “all the publicity is doing its job.”

The campaign also was cited at the time by several travel trade publications.

The lesson is that if you have a compelling story and you can communicate it in a compelling way to appropriate media outlets, you can generate significant coverage for your client.