The mission statement is one of the most important parts of a successful brand identity or CI. Below is a clear definition, as well as guidance on how to develop a mission statement. The following are examples of mission statements from successful brands.
Definition
A mission statement articulates the purpose of a company. It announces to the whole world why your company exists. Every company should have a mission statement to unify the organization.
You can think of a mission statement as a combination of what your business or nonprofit does and how and why it does it, expressed in a way that summarizes the values that are important to you. However, it can be a challenge to bring these ideas together clearly and concisely. Here’s a simple guide – along with some examples – for writing your own mission statement.
Instruction
1. what does my company do?
There’s no need to make your mark here. Just say it for now. What product or service does your company manufacture or offer? Limit yourself to the essentials and do not add filler words. You will elaborate on this purpose in the next steps.
The purpose of my business is to:
- Shoes for sale
- Offer educational services
- Grow market vegetables
- Develop phone apps
- Offer financial advice
- Selling women’s clothing
- Offer pet care
2. how does my company do it?
This is the hard part, because we’re not looking for a detailed description of the physical operations of your business here. Instead, we’re looking for a description of how your company operates in general. This usually means including one or more of your core values in your description.
So take a moment to list the core values that are important to your business. Here are some sample values you can use when writing a mission statement:
- Offer high product quality
- Provide superior customer service
- Protect the quality of the environment
- Ensure equal access to resources
- Encouraging innovation/creativity
- Practicing sustainable development
It might be helpful to focus on your company’s core competencies when considering which values are worth including in your mission statement. Focus on one (or at most two) to include in your description of your company’s activities.
Examples of mission statements
This is what the first three examples from step 1 might look like if you add values to them.
The purpose of my business is to:
- Shoes of the highest quality for sale.
- Provide educational services that enable learning outcomes for all children.
- Grow market vegetables using organic, sustainable farming methods.
Remember that these goals have not yet been achieved. There is one more step before your mission statement is complete.
Why does your company do it?
This is the part of your mission statement that describes your spark – the passion behind your business.
Why does your company do what it does? For some people, it helps to remember why they started their business in the first place.
Examples of mission statements
Here’s what our three examples of corporate mission statements might look like if you add the “why.”
The purpose of my business is to:
- To sell shoes of the highest quality so that every customer can find a pair of shoes that they actually enjoy wearing.
- Provide educational opportunities that enable all children to achieve and become lifelong learners and contributors to our community.
Grow market vegetables using organic, sustainable farming methods to provide people with safe and healthy food choices.
When you’re done, take another look at your mission statement and see if it captures what you want to say or if there’s a better way to phrase it. Make sure that you use the phrase
“The purpose of my business” to the name of your business.
“The purpose of my business is to grow market vegetables using organic, sustainable farming methods to provide people with safe and healthy food choices.
could become:
“At Earth’s Bounty, we grow market vegetables in a way that is good for the earth and good for the table.”
And, “The purpose of our company is to provide educational services that enable all children to achieve learning success and become lifelong learners and contributors to our community.
could be better formulated as:
“Our company, Hopscotch Learning, exists to provide educational services that enable all children to experience learning success and achievement in life.”
Examples
Below is an overview of mission statements of well-known companies, as well as an explanation of what they exactly say and how they have developed.
“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
Amazon
“We aim to be Earth’s most customer centric company. Our mission is to continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximise their success.”
Starbucks
“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”
Apple
“To bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.”
BMW
The BMW Group is the world’s leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility.
Coca Cola
“To refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions, and to create value and make a difference.”
Microsoft
“To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
Summary
The mission statement is a central element of a brand identity or corporate identity. Specifically, it describes in a few words what you do every day, how you do it, and what the motivation behind it is.
A successful mission statement answers these 3 aspects in one sentence, ideally in as few words as possible.
Mission statements can or must develop over the years (or decades), however.
