Corporate Brand Platforms:
CORPORATE MISSION, OR SOUL

If Purpose is “what we do,” Mission is “why, beyond economics, it is worth doing.” So defined, they are quite different. Separating the "what" from the "why" makes it easier to perceive (and write) them.

In every great company, leaders and employees are motivated, beyond earnings and dividends, by the belief that in achieving its daily purpose the company in some way makes the world (or its part of the world) a better place. The Mission statement expresses this contribution.

The sense that a company’s contribution is uniquely meaningful to human society is the most durable driver of management, employee, customer and even investor loyalty. It is as close as you can get to a corporate soul.

A credible, compelling Mission statement is seldom easy to articulate, but always worth the effort. As a rule, Mission statements are written primarily for internal audiences. Examples:

• Dow Jones
  "We are motivated by the conviction that the free flow of business knowledge is fundamental to free markets, and free people."
  
  
• Celera Genomics
  “By helping the world fully know the human genome, we will contribute health and well-being to human life in current and future generations."