Question

Topic: Branding

Does Purpose Replace Vision/mission Or Complement

Posted by myles on 2/1/2017 at 6:54 AM ET 125 Points
We have worked with many brands on the creation of brand purposes over the last 10 years, primarily at consumer brand level, but also in a number of corporate brand cases. On a current project, the CEO has a strong passion for the Vision, Mission and corporate values he created - now we are building a brand positioning model for the company, 2 inevitable questions have been raised
1. where does my corporate brand's purpose fit in with my mission and vision
2. how do we reconcile the brand values (designed to shape the perception of the brand in customers minds) with the corporate values (designed largely to guide how the company does business day to day - the usual suspects of teamwork, honesty etc). Any perspective, and ideally a couple of examples would be amazing.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by joy.levin on 2/1/2017 at 8:15 AM Accepted
    Not sure if you have done this yet, but a SWOT analysis could answer these questions. For example, what are the strengths of the brand, and how do these align with the company's mission and vision? I am working on a similar project for a client right now, and my team is conducting an environmental scan (e.g., how do others perceive the brand and whether it aligns with internal mission/vision) and an in-depth SWOT analysis. These tools can ensure that not only do external perceptions align with those internally held, but can also form the basis for the development of a strategic plan to make sure that these values will be implemented consistently in line with the company's goals and objectives.

    Hope this helps!
  • Posted by Mike Steffes on 2/1/2017 at 8:27 AM Accepted
    Vision describes what new (with the perception of better) "environment" the company hopes to produce through its efforts. The brand is one tool to help accomplish that vision. Corporate mission would be a more active way of describing the process of attaining the corporate vision.
    Brand values are tactical, corporate values are strategic. In military terms it might be the difference between the values used to describe taking a city vs. the values employed by the soldiers going in and actually fighting for control.
  • Posted on 2/2/2017 at 2:27 PM Accepted
    I sense that we're getting lost in semantics. I've been involved in Vision, Mission and Positioning Statements, and in Value Propositions, but somehow Purpose has never explicitly come into the picture.

    Maybe it's time to step back and ask ourselves what problem we're trying to solve and what will be different if/when we identify an explicit Purpose.
  • Posted by myles on 2/2/2017 at 4:02 PM Author
    I think too many companies are hiding behind semantics - in the category we are currently working, 5 of the top 8 companies worldwide have a declared vision - most are to be number one and add value for customers (without trashing the planet). These are hardly visionary, nor do they give any perspective on how they may make the world a better place - a sense of purpose its not a box ticking CSR façade, its a real gut felt emotion we see in many entrepreneurial organisations that our customers of the future are increasingly expecting.
  • Posted by Shelley Ryan on 2/22/2017 at 11:30 AM Moderator
    Hi Everyone,

    I am closing this question since there hasn't been much recent activity.

    Thanks for participating!

    Shelley
    MarketingProfs
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