Sea Cloud Cruises' new hire, brand ambassador Bill Smith, has some questions for his boss. Namely, should his boss really refer to Smith as "my dad" during webinars?
Bill Smith is indeed the father of Sea Cloud vice president of sales Kevin Smith, but he also has a decades-deep resume of cruise industry leadership. That reputation compelled Sea Cloud to ask Bill Smith to come out of retirement to be brand ambassador.
"It'll be a challenge working for my son," Bill Smith joked, saying he thinks Kevin ought to call him "Mr. Smith."
While other cruise lines have famous athletes or actors as their ambassadors, Sea Cloud president Mirell Reyes said she doesn't see how they connect to the cruise industry.
Smith's connection? Leadership that earned him a slot in CLIA's Hall of Fame in 2016. He was president of Silversea Cruises for six years and held top roles at multiple other cruise lines including Crystal, Princess and Costa. Before retiring in 2016, he was vice president of cruise sales at Virtuoso.
"In my years in this industry, I've always heard 'Have you met Bill Smith's son Kevin yet?'" Reyes said. "Duh, I hired him. So, I thought it was time to turn this around and say, 'Have you met Kevin Smith's dad yet?'"
Though new to the brand, Bill Smith has agency reps completely engaged when he speaks to them about Sea Cloud, his son said. It's a great way for Sea Cloud to continue to deepen its relationship with the trade.
Two years ago, there was little advisor engagement, and now Sea Cloud has preferred-supplier status with Signature Travel Network and Virtuoso, Reyes said.
"We're very proud that now the majority of our bookings come from travel advisors," she said. "We've made a big shift already."
At Sea Cloud, Smith will host fam trips, webinars and road shows, and he will help with developing a loyalty program, Reyes said.
Bill Smith called Sea Cloud "an extraordinary product," emphasizing that the endorsement is coming from someone who has "worked for just about every cruise line. And I've been on everybody's ship."