Getting SMART.

How smart are you in the communication process? Is your communication plan Strategic, Measurable, Reasonable and Targeted (SMART)?

When the communication team at Miles Inc. faced some major changes a few years ago, Elliot Schreiber, senior vice-president, corporate communication, led his team in the use of SMART public relations to implement a successful internal and external communication strategy. A billion-dollar chemical, health care and imaging technology company, Miles Inc., was formed in January 1992 through the merger of three sister companies - Mobay Corporation, Afga Corporation and Miles Inc. - with their parent company.

"We needed a way to get everyone in sync with the changes that we were implementing, and we knew our communication needed to be strategic and measurable. So we took an acronym to get people involved and to help them understand what it was all about," says Schreiber.

"We were three large companies and a holding company with our own cultures, objectives and measurements. Based upon the SMART communication, we implemented a Vision, Values and Beliefs program within the new company to get everyone focused on common goals and aspirations.

"What we found was that once we applied the SMART PR, we identified all types of opportunities that we never thought of before," Schreiber adds.

Schreiber says that too often people develop communication plans based on what they like to do - people who like brochures do brochures, people who like newsletters do newsletters. But is it always the right thing to do, he asks?

The SMART program involves people working in teams that make sense to the company, not just to an individual. What communicators need to do is develop communication with the customer in mind. They need to ask themselves questions such as what are the customer's business needs and how can communication help them meet those needs.

This approach is simple. Before developing your plans, conduct research to find out the current state of affairs. Using this research, and drawing on industry-based research that has extended validity in the marketplace, develop strategies to meet business needs. Ascertain what management wants you to focus on, such as corporate objectives, vision and values.

This tailored research also will determine employees' needs - the issues, what the employees are thinking, what they know, what they want and need to know. Deal with the issues head on and position messages so that employees understand the rationale for the changes.

Employees are more likely to buy in and support management's new business initiatives, especially if they involve significant restructuring and cultural changes. In addition, people feel that they are a part of the change process; that they have some input into policies that are affecting their lives.

Whatever plans and strategies are developed, they must be measurable, actionable, reasonable and targeted, says Schreiber. It is important that in undertaking an extensive change-process that you implement measurable programs to determine their effectiveness. Pre-campaign and post-campaign studies are essential in establishing what strategies can be enhanced or discarded.

Messages may need to be tailored to meet the needs of different segments of the market.

Some executives may want to do a corporate video, he says, but they may not realize that the majority of their employees are in sales. An audio tape would be a better communication vehicle so these employees could use the products in their cars. Through research, a good communicator would be able to point this out to management.

The SMART approach is cyclical - it is a process that should be done over and over. And it should be done for almost every communication program that is being implemented, whether it is for employee communication, corporate advertising or external public relations.

The name change at Miles in January 1992 was a major undertaking. Currently they are facing an even greater challenge. They are changing their name again this time to Bayer. Bayer is an international company that owned several major companies including Mobay. Miles, which has been in existence for more than 100 years, was acquired by Bayer some 14 years ago. The change in name in 1992 was a result of a legal question around the use of the name "Bayer."

Now after 75 years, the company owns the rights to the "Bayer" name again and on April 1, 1995, will be making the switch from Miles Inc. to Bayer Corporation.

However, a number of communication challenges face them, both internally and externally. First of all, Miles as a company has been in existence for more than 100 years; therefore it is understandable that some long-term employees of Miles would be opposed to seeing a name change. Research has shown that approximately 32 percent of employees have some difficulty with this. This is an issue that must be handled effectively to change the mind set of those employees who are resistant.

Second, Bayer may be a household name worldwide, but it is primarily associated with the aspirin product. Through SMART public relations, the company will focus on repositioning Bayer as a diversified health-care and chemicals corporation - much more than a one-brand name company.

Angela V. Carter is a communicator in employee communication, human resources, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, North Fork, Ont.

Schreiber will be a featured speaker at IABC's 1995 international conference in Toronto.