Module 13

Difference Between Vision

z and Mission

Statements: 25 Examples
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Definition of vision and mission: A
vision focuses on tomorrow and
what an organization wants to
ultimately become. A mission
statement focuses on today and
what an organization does to
achieve it. Both are vital in
directing goals.
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Mission, vision, values. We’ve heard this trio rattled off
countless times, rapid-fire like they’re one catchy
phrase – when, in fact, they are three very distinct
concepts for organizations.

The lines especially get blurred with vision and mission

statements. But when it comes to the drive and
direction of your company today and tomorrow, you
don’t want to have trouble seeing when you’re behind
the wheel. And, the same rings true for your content
marketing.
 So, we’re breaking down the
z

difference between a vision and

mission statement – and rounding
up stellar examples from top
brands – to help you better
understand and define your
company’s essence with
confidence.
What is thez difference between a vision and a mission?

The vision statement focuses on tomorrow and what the

organization wants to become. The mission statement
focuses on today and what the organization does. While
companies commonly use mission and vision
statements interchangeably, it’s important to have both.
One doesn’t work without the other, because having
purpose and meaning are critical for any business.
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What is a mission statement?

Your mission statement drives the company. It is

what you do/ the core of the business, and from it
comes to the objectives and finally, what it takes to
reach those objectives. It also shapes your company’s
culture.
Mission statement questions look like:
* What do we do?
* Whom do we serve?
* How do we serve them?
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This trickle-down effect of a mission statement confirms
its value at any company. Just by its definition, you can
quickly see how a solid mission motivates a team to
advance toward a common goals because they started
at the same place and they are working together to
reach the same end-goal.

On the other hand, a weak mission – or no mission at all

– can have the opposite effect. Picture this: silos,
miscommunications, flailing, feeling unmotivated. And,
imagine what that does to a company. Scary, right?
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For content marketers

Your content strategy supports the company’s

mission statement – think of it as the HOW of
what you do. This helps you stay on track, true
to your goals. Every piece of content you create
should be rooted in your mission statement,
from the tone of voice to the call-to-action.
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What is a vision
z statement?

Your vision statement gives the company direction. It is the

future of the business, which then provides the purpose.

The vision statement is about what you want to become. It’s

aspirational.

Vision statement questions look like:

* What are our hopes and dreams?
* What problems are we solving for the greater good?
* Who and what are we inspiring to change?
The visionzstatement promotes growth, both internally
and externally. A strong vision helps focus on what
matters the most for their company. It also invites
innovation. A purpose-driven company envisions
success as a whole because they know what success
means for their company.

On the flip side, a lack of vision is a road to nowhere for

a business. Imagine this: stagnation, outdated
processes, moving without purpose, feeling uninspired.
Can a company even survive without a clear vision? You
know the answer to that one.
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For content marketers

The content vision supports the company’s

vision statement- this is the WHY of what you
do. This helps you stay forward-thinking, true to
your beliefs, and true to your purpose. Every
piece of content you dream up should fly high
with your vision statement, from the inception of
an e-book to the lofty blog traffic milestone.
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Find a Team to Manage Your Content and Grow Your
Vision

Never miss a chance to engage with customers. Create

better content, faster. With Clear Voice, you can tap into
vetted freelance teams who can manage your content
plans, start to finish. Major content projects to enterprise
scale. Articles, motion graphics, posts, and more to fill
all your content channels and grow your content vision.
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Brands that get it: 25 examples of vision and mission
z
statements
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Company: Tesla

Mission: To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable

energy.

Vision: To create the most compelling car company of the 21st

century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.

Why it works: What better word then “accelerate” in a

mission to serve as the driving force behind what Tesla does.
While boldly stating “best in the century” reflects loftier
dreams in the vision.
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Company: TED

Mission: We believe passionately in the power of ideas to

change attitudes, lives, and, ultimately, the world.

Why it works: The TED mission to “spread ideas” is a

simple demonstration of how they serve. The vision is all
about impact, how spreading ideas invokes change in the
world.
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Company:zLinkedIn

Mission: To connect the world’s professionals to make

them more productive and successful.

Vision: To create economic opportunity for every

member of the global workforce.

Why it works: LinkedIn succinctly captures what they

do (connect) and who they serve (the world’s
professionals) in their mission. While the vision
encompasses every working person in the world.
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Company: Google

Mission: To organize the world’s information and make

universally accessible and useful.

Vision: To provide access to the world’s information in

one click.

Why it works: Google may seem complex, but its

mission clarifies that organization and accessibility are
what they offer. Their vision statement is about
improving accessibility in the future “in one click.”
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Company: Uber

Mission: Uber’s mission is to bring transportation – for

everyone, everywhere.

Vision: Smarter transportation with fewer cars and greater

access. Transportation that’s safer, cheaper, and more
reliable; transportation that creates more job opportunities and
higher incomes for drivers.

Why it works: Uber “transports,” so it is the perfect actionable

verb for their mission. The vision dives deeper into how their
transportation services exist for the greater good of everyone.
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Company: z
AirBnB

Vision: Belong anywhere

Vision: Tapping into the universal human yearning to belong

– the desire to feel welcomed, respected, and appreciated for
who you are, no matter where you might be.

Why it works: In just two words, the AirBnB mission says

“we help you feel at home.” They explore a deeper sense of
belonging in the vision, tapping into the universal human
desire their company aims for.
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Company: Intel

Mission: Utilize the power of Moore’s Law to bring

smart, connected devices to every person on earth.

Vision: If it is smart and connected, it is best with Intel.

Why it works: Intel “brings smart, connected devices”

to everyone in their mission. Their vision uses more
beautiful language, illustrating great confidence in the
future of their solutions.
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Company: GoDaddy
Mission: We are here to help our customers kick ass. We do that by living our
strategy and ruthlessly prioritizing our work to create simple elegant technology
that delights our customers – all while delivering service that is second to none.
Every single day, we join forces across teams and groups to break down
barriers, build new markets, and stare down the impossible until the impossible
blinks.

Vision: We will radically shift the global economy toward small business by
empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their
ventures.

Why it works: Though cheeky, “helping customers kick-ass” wasn’t enough to

explain what GoDaddy does and they ended up creating a lengthy mission. The
vision uses “radically shift” to convey a passion for progress.
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Company: Catterpillar
Mission: To enable economic growth through infrastructure and energy
development, and to provide solutions that support communities and protect
the planet.

Vision: Our vision is a world in which all people’s basic needs- such as shelter,
clean water, sanitation, food, and reliable power- are fulfilled in an
environmentally sustainable way and a company that improves the quality of
the environment and the communities where we live and work.

Why it works: “Enable” is a factory word for “give”, but Caterpillar

spells out their “how” concisely. While the vision digs more into their
“why,” that their company will never stop improving environments
and communities.
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Company: Toyota USA

Mission: To attract and attain customers with high-valued products

and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in
America.

Vision: To be the most successful and respected car company in

America.

Why it works: Toyota’s mission demonstrates what they are known

for: products and services. Even in a highly competitive industry,
their vision states that they will become the best car company in the
country.
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Company: Wikimedia

Vision: To empower and engage people around the world to collect

and develop educational content under a free license or in the public
domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally.

Vision: Imagine a world in which every single human being can

freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That’s our commitment.

Why it works: Wikimedia’s mission motivates their team to move

toward a common goal of empowerment and engagement. Their
vision paints a future world where their company’s commitment
makes a lasting impact.
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Company: Samsung

Mission: Inspire the world with our innovative technologies,

products, and design that enrich people’s lives and contributes to
social prosperity by creating a new future.

Vision: Inspire the world. Create the future.

Why it works: Samsung has a mixed bag for its mission and vision
statements. Their vision lies within the mission, where they clarify
how they “inspire the world” and “create the future.”
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Company: Cisco

Vision: Shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecented

value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors,
and ecosystem partners.

Vision: Changing the way we work, live, play, and learn.

Why it works: Cisco decided on a blended mission and vision

statement. Language like “shape the future” is more vision-
oriented, but the mission talks about the people they serve.
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Company: Ikea

Mission: Offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home

furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as
possible will be able to afford them.

Vision: To create a better everyday life for many people.

Why it works: The mission here focuses on the functionality of

IKEA’s products and the affordability for its customers. In the vision,
the IKEA team has a true sense of purpose in “creating a better
everyday life.”
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Company: Southwest

Mission: The mission of Southwest Airlines is a dedication to the

highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of
warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.

Vision: To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most
profitable airline.

Why it works: Southwest Airlines tells us right up front that quality

customer service is their mission. Their vision is highly aspirational
across the board in saying they want to be “the most” of everything.
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Company: eBay

Mission: To be the world’s favorite destination for discovering great

value and unique selection.

Vision: Our vision for commerce is one that is enabled by people,

powered by technology, and open to everyone.

Why it works: Ebay’s mission uses “destination” to show their

virtual company as a real place people come to. An ongoing focus
on people and technology gets into the “why” of their vision.
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Company: ADP
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Mission: Power organizations with insightful solutions that drive

business success.

Vision: Be the world’s authority on helping organizations focus on

what matters.

Why it works: “Power” is a strong mission-focused verb that

speaks to what ADP does. Becoming “the world’s authority” ties a
lofty statement into their purpose of helping other organizations.
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Mission: Kaiser Permanente exists to provide high-quality,
affordable health care services and to improve the health of our
members and the communities we serve.

Vision: We are trusted partners in total health, collaborating with

people to help them thrive, and creating communities that are
among the healthiest in the nation.

Why it works: Saying “exist” sounds more like a vision statement,

but the rest of the mission says what Kaiser Permanente does. In
the vision, “thrive” and “healthiest” are big words that show their
impact.
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Company: SONY

Mission: A company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.

Vision: Using our unlimited passion for technology, content, and

services to deliver ground breaking new excitement and
entertainment, as only Sony can.

Why it works: Sony gives a customer-focused touch to their

mission by using “your.” The “unlimited passion” and ground
breaking entertainment” messaging in their vision demonstrates
innovation.
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Generalization:

The vision, mission, and values statements

guide the behaviors of people in the
organization. But when the statements are not
supported, people have no guidance. If people
in the firm were guided by the mission, they
could have corrected even the CEO. The
Countrywide might have avoided disaster.