Vision, mission and values, these three terms in my opinion are the most ambiguous, misinterpreted and bland words not just in the branding regime but in the whole ecosystem of marketing and communications. You can open any random business website and you will find these three terms there for sure. These three terms will be highlighted in the about us page in fancy fonts followed by a few ornamental lines trying to grab the attention of every user.
If you are smiling at this description means I’m right, not just right but you also came across several of such missions, visions and values.
But then the real question arises, if we all know that it’s just another boring piece of content, why do people still write it and what does it actually mean? A simple answer is that it's not something you just write but exhibit, practice and represent in your work. A powerful brand is built on more than just products or services. At its core, a brand is defined by its purpose, its direction, and the principles that provide the whole synergy of how it operates.
So keep in mind that your vision, mission, and values are not just garnishing statements, they are your strategic pillars. When combined in proper alignment, these three terms provide clarity, spark motivation, and influence how your business resembles your work to the world. According to a 2023 Deloitte study, over 75% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a brand that shares their personal values. This is where it signifies the right use and existence of mission, vision and values.
As part of branding, when a founder figures out the right utility and approach to bring these three together not just in theory but in practicality, they don’t just guide decisions internally; they build trust externally, differentiate you in the crowd, and make you stand out from the herd of competitors. Another interesting stat comes from Gallup’s research showcasing how companies that have clear and well defined mission, vision and purpose are bound to experience 30% higher innovation levels and 40% increased employee retention. These are some astonishing figures which bring us to the importance of defining your brand’s vision, values and mission. So without further ado, let’s break it down.
Vision: the long term goal
How far can you see you?
Let me rephrase it, how far can you see your brand grow?
You don’t have to answer it, your vision does. A brand’s vision is its ultimate motivation and ambition point. It meticulously defines what exactly you want to achieve in the future. Now, there is no time constraint or restriction on how you’ll do it. The idea is that the vision should keep coming back to you every now and then to remind you where you want to go.
In a nutshell, vision is nothing but a long term goal that you want to achieve via personal branding. Of course it is well integrated as one of the key business objectives as well. This happens when clarity removes the unrequited and your branding strategy becomes your business strategy.
Plus, a simple tip for vision is to not be delusional. Of course, everyone wants to achieve big and you should definitely have this in your brand checklist but it doesn’t mean you should set unrealistic goals and expectations for your product, especially in the early stages of business operations.
Mission: how you move
Take any example from a multinational brand, you will notice that they all are slowly and steadily working towards their mission and have a clear idea of what it really is. For instance, Nike’s mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Clearly they are doing it in their own way but at the same time uses its mission to define themselves. This invites the customers to engage with the brand. This type of clarity not only is good for customers but for the whole marketing team and campaigns.
Let me give you an insightful stat, a 2020 LinkedIn and Edelman study found that nearly 60% of employees would leave a job if they found a company with a more clearly defined mission and purpose. This represents how even employees are influenced with a clarity of purpose, mission, vision and values. Don’t forget, a good mission statement shapes marketing and also fulfills the purpose of talent magnet.
Values: What you stand for
Values play an integral role, not just in branding but in business as well. It reflects on the founder’s thought process, what they think, how they think, what are the principles they respect and practice, what is something they will stand for and what are the unethical behaviors that they strictly avoid. Values resemble the school of thought the entrepreneur or the founder comes from. Brand values shape the day-to-day behaviors. These are principles that assist teams to make decisions, interact with customers, and navigate through challenges. Know this, authentic values are specific, actionable, and carved into how a business operates. For example, see Amazon's “customer obsession” influencing everything from product design to logistics. However, there’s majorly a gap between aspiration and execution. A 2022 PwC report revealed that while 79% of leaders believe purpose is central to success, only 34% say their strategies and decisions are actually driven by it.
Integrating vision, mission, and values into your business
When you begin to define brand vision, mission and values, you must ensure that all three of them are perfectly aligned with each other. All three can’t move in three different directions, if that’s the case then your brand remains standing in the middle getting pulled by each one of them in different commands. Technically moving nowhere.
Ideally, your brand vision, values and mission should parallelly move in one direction adjacent to each other. These elements should inform hiring decisions, employee onboarding, product development, marketing campaigns, and customer service. These are not one time written statements, in fact, they should be revisited in regular intervals, especially when the business scales, pivots, or evolves in response to market shifts.
Final thoughts
Now, you know why every business has their vision, mission and values pinned to their website. These statements are there to keep reminding of the purpose, direction and principles that are to be prioritized and cannot be taken for granted. Define brand vision, mission and values as they attract customers who share your beliefs, employees who want to be part of something meaningful, and partners who understand your goals. A brand that stands for something clearly and consistently is far more likely to be remembered, trusted, and loved. With this thought, let’s wrap it up.
