How to define your Brand’s Vision and Mission Statements?

Introduction

The words Vision and Mission would ring a bell in your brain, one would have spotted it in their school, college, office, etc. These words are often accompanied by a few lines which are called statements. We generally do not realize the importance of these two statements but they are one of the key parameters when it comes to the brand functioning. They are usually paired up and confused with one another because they are mutually inclusive.

In this article let us define the two statements, learn their importance, and the role they play in the organization with a few examples in the end. This will make sure that one understands the importance and difference between the two statements.

Note: The definition of these statements are presented in a way that helps everyone to understand them easily. Usually, the textbook definition of these terms is hard to interpret for the common populous who are unaware of the technical terms. This is the reason why the statements are often confused and misinterpreted with one.

Vision

It is the statement that defines what your company intends for society. It is often an Idealistic state which cannot be achieved but something worth pursuing. It is usually set in the future and talks about the potential of the brand and its interests.

Mission

It is the statement that defines the methodologies adopted to fulfill the vision statement. This is something that the company does regularly, integrated into the work culture. This is often set in the present as it defines the day-to-day activities.

Steps to define a Vision Statement

Ask the following questions to yourself and answer them as the Brand (for which the vision statement is being conceived):

1. What does your brand aspire to be?

2. Where does it aspire to achieve?

This will give you the answer in the form of an ideal goal. This ideal goal will be your North Star and will make sure you are heading to the destination that you wanted.

Steps to define a Mission Statement

Ask the following question to yourself and answer it as the Brand (for which the Mission statement is being conceived):

1. What is your brand committed to, to achieve our vision of the future?

This will give you the process that needs to be preserved and followed while you row toward your vision. The mission is will help you paddle across the ocean while being guided by the North Star AKA Vision.

How to Implement these Statements?

Vision and Mission statements can be implemented in many ways, frankly speaking, your imagination is the limit. In many companies, the Vision and Mission statements are proudly presented in an area (Inside the organization) that sees a lot of traffic.

One of the hotspots is the entry hallway, it is usually chosen as these statements will be the first thing their employees see whilst entering the Office. This tends to have a subconscious impact on people. Apart from this Vision and Mission statements are printed in the employee handbook.

These statements can also be integrated with regular actions,

If a Customer Care center's Vision is to "Never miss a call from a customer in distress" and its Mission is to "Create new and efficient ways to answer calls". They can make sure that they devise employee training accordingly. They can also make sure that there are parallel lines (buffer lines) open for bottleneck situations.

They could also have a caller tune that politely asks them to wait and state their number in the queue. All these reinforce the Vision and Mission Statement without actually being read aloud.

EXAMPLES

COCA COLA

VISION - " Our vision serves as the framework for our Roadmap and guides every aspect of our business by describing what we need to accomplish to continue achieving sustainable, quality growth "

MISSION - " Our Roadmap starts with our mission, which is enduring. It declares our purpose as a company and serves as the standard against which we weigh our actions and decisions "

TESLA

VISION & MISSION - "To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy"

TATA INTERNATIONAL

VISION - " To be globally significant in each of our chosen businesses by 2025"

MISSION - "To be the most reliable global network for customers and suppliers, that delivers value through products and services. To be a responsible value creator for all our stakeholders"

We can all agree on the fact that without being applied Vision and Mission statements are just a collection of words with no actual purpose. Your customers learn about your Vision and Mission through the product and services you offer them. Therefore give adequate attention to the implementation & integration process.

NOTE: Core Brand values are equally important as the Vision and Mission. Core Brand values are the beliefs that you, as a company, stand for. They serve as the compass that guides your brand story, actions, behaviors, and decision-making process. ( We will look into Core Values in a future post )