What is a mission statement?
The mission statement formulates the value proposition. It summarizes the specific added value that customers experience when they use the brand’s services. Accordingly, the corporate mission is primarily aimed at external parties. Well formulated, the mission statement functions as an elevator pitch that arouses curiosity and positions you and your brand as a guide.
Why is a mission statement important?
A mission statement communicates the solution to a problem or challenge faced by target groups. It makes it possible to identify at a glance who the offer of an organization or company is aimed at. A well-formulated mission statement supports the brand positioning by placing the problem, solution and success for customers in the context of the brand. This provides orientation both externally and internally.
What is the difference between mission and vision?
Mission vs. vision: In many companies and their brand mission statements, vision and mission are not clearly differentiated from each other in terms of wording and function, partly because the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. It is common and makes sense to use the mission statement to express the added value that customers experience by purchasing products or working with the company. It is therefore primarily aimed at customers and partners. A vision statement, on the other hand, is primarily aimed at the company’s own employees and contains the goal that the company is striving for in the medium term. The vision is a kind of guiding star and is intended to motivate employees to position the brand successfully in the future.
| Mission | Vision | |
| Content | Concrete benefit of business activities, products, services | Future positioning of the brand |
| Target group | Customers | Employees |
| Alignment | Rather external | Rather internal |
| Classification | Current brand promise | Medium to long-term corporate goals |
| Function | Basis for brand communication | Orientation for employees |
Well-known examples of mission statements
Companies formulate and communicate their mission statements in order to convey in a few sentences what added value the brand offers. Here are some examples of mission statements:
VEGANZ
“As a vegan full-range supplier, we offer everyone a diverse selection of tasty, plant-based products and innovations, are transparent in our actions and behave respectfully towards all living creatures and nature“
“Our mission is to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love. When we say everyone, we mean everyone. We know that inspiration starts with inclusion. Every single person should be able to search, save and shop the best ideas in the world for all of life’s moments.”
Miles Mobility
“We enable people to meet their individual mobility needs without having to purchase a car.”
Oatly
“Our goal is to always deliver products that have maximum nutritional value and minimal environmental impact. We promise that our drive to help people enhance their lives and contribute to the long-term future of the planet will always come before the reckless pursuit of profit.”
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
“We are the heartbeat of Berlin”. We want to actively drive forward the transport revolution by intelligently networking various mobility services. Our goal is and remains mobility for everyone and from a single source. In short: we want to move all of Berlin, around the clock, day after day, today and in the future.”
Birkenstock
“We want to give everyone in the world access to a healthy, comfortable and affordable footbed.”
Fritz-Kola
“A kola that is better than anything offered by the big soda companies.”
Create a mission statement
The mission statement formulates the value proposition. It summarizes the concrete added value that customers experience when they use the brand’s services. When formulated correctly, it makes people curious for more and positions your brand as a guide. It is helpful to involve various employees in the development and to find out together what needs the brand solves, how it does it and what success it helps customers achieve. To create the mission statement, the formula “customer problem + brand solution = customer success” therefore always applies
Step 1: Customer problem
Potential customers only buy when they read statements that make them want to buy. Only if you strike a chord with your target group will they be interested in finding out more. What does the customer want or need? What problems does he or she face? If the mission is not targeted, it will not be perceived by the target group. The problems, needs and wishes of customers can be discussed through a target group analysis. It is then necessary to work out together to which of these problems the company can contribute a solution.By understanding and actively communicating the customer’s problems, the brand is perceived as empathetic and shows that it recognizes the needs of its target group.
Step 2: Brand solution
Many companies make the mistake of putting themselves at the center of attention by emphasizing how many years they have been on the market, how many employees they have or what awards they have already received. That’s why we advise against it: Your customers are the focus – you are the guide. That’s why it’s important to convey how the brand solves the problem when formulating it. Of course, the brand’s strengths can and must be formulated, but in relation to the customer’s challenge.
Step 3: Customer success
Customers want to have an idea of what their lives can look like when they work with your brand. They want to know what changes are possible by using the products or services – in short, where the brand will take them. By showing a promising future, the mission statement becomes more relevant. The clearer the vision of positive change is, the more desire can be aroused:
- What does the customer have?
- How does he:she feel?
- What does everyday (working) life look like?
- How has his:her status changed?
Step 4: Drafting the mission statement
The elements of problem, solution and success are used to create a short story to which you invite your customers.
Problem customer + solution brand = success customer
Example of a mission statement based on the brand glims.
Problem customer:
An intense lifestyle increases the pressure to give the body what it really needs.
Solution Brand:
glims are vitamins and minerals that everyone needs – in exact dosages, developed by laboratory physicians in Germany.
Customer success:
So that you can live your life to the full – without sacrificing anything.
Mission Statement:
An intense lifestyle increases the pressure to give the body what it really needs. glims are vitamins and minerals that everyone needs – in exact doses, developed by laboratory physicians in Germany. So that you can live your life to the full – without sacrificing anything.
When formulating the mission statement, it is important to create different versions and obtain feedback from the team in order to take different perspectives into account. Try it out, use it as an elevator pitch, at trade fairs or on social networks and test how it is received. Take enough time for this process to ensure that the mission statement is well thought out and convincing.
Step 5: Communicate the mission statement
Once the mission statement has been finalized, you should share it regularly with your employees. Ideally, sooner or later, everyone in the team will know the statement by heart and thus always have a catchy answer ready to the question: “So, what do you do?”. Repeat it regularly: on average, a person must have heard something 8 times to be able to memorize it. Of course, the same phenomenon also applies to your customers. Therefore, use the phrases generously across various touchpoints: in the email signature, in company presentations, at trade fairs or on social media. The more often your customers read the mission statement, the faster it will become established.
Free template for download
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Criteria for a convincing mission statement
The formulation of a good and captivating mission statement requires a number of aspects that should be taken into account:
- Be as brief as possible: every employee should have the chance to internalize the mission statement.
- Be specific: It must be clear to everyone what the problem is that the brand is solving and what the customer will gain from it
- Do not overload: Concentrate on the main problem of the main target group that you are solving
- Communicate the mission statement: On average, a person must have heard a message eight times before they can remember it
Agency for brand identity
As a brand agency or design agency, we develop a mission statement as part of the brand strategy that clearly formulates your added value. With a brand workshop and brand consultancy, we work together to develop the foundations for consistent, strategic branding – for a brand that makes a difference.
Conclusion
A mission statement specifies the benefits of the brand and forms a basis for your storytelling. The decisive factor is which needs the brand solves, how it does this and what success it helps to achieve. Concise and concrete sentences help to communicate the mission. The mission statement also acts as an elevator pitch and can be communicated on the website, in company presentations and at trade fairs, for example.
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