Activate Japan

Both the Mission Statement and the Vision Statement reaches every area of the organization and is understood by their customers. A good company Mission Statement and Vision Statement needs to capture the essence of an organization without being so vague that it could apply to every other company too. To capture the essence it should focus the energies of the whole organization, and their customers too, in a purposeful way. I can say that the types of people that my former company BBDO hired all had a passion and energy for the vision and clients had that passion too. That company attracted a certain breed of customer that was ready to break some rules or push the envelope to be different. The client list was a who’s who of innovators and pioneers, Pepsi, Apple, FedEx are examples…even the theme lines we developed for clients and firms that the company handled had a vision for the company. GE, We bring good things to life, Visa bring your appetite but don’t bring your American Express. These companies had a clear vision. Both statements must be true. BBDO believed its statement had to be proven by winning the Agency of the year at Cannes, or the best Super Bowl spots…awards were critical to prove its commitment to the vision. I think the Mission Statement differs from the vision in one respect. The Mission Statement simply and practically outlines what it will take to deliver the Vision by outlining directives and regimentation. The Vision Statement can be ambitious and it can reveal how a company inspires its employees, customers and stakeholders to take the initiative and give momentum to the success of a company.