Weaving a story through mission and vision statements and Branding

Subhrajit Dutta: Assistant Professor
Centre for PR-Corporate Communication and Entrepreneurship Skills

Mission and vision statements are often drafted painstakingly, by communication experts or the senior management. Vision generally defines the organization’s future state; it is a dream. Organizational vision has been defined as “…the overarching purpose of an organization and the means it intends to use to achieve that end.”

Vision statement sits at “heart” of top management, often contains “lofty and optimistic” language, mostly developed to evoke emotions and sometimes easily remembered.  Vision statement is the first step towards developing a strategic plan, which defines its strategic leverage. 

   

Mission, on the other hand is the current reason for the existence of an organization. Mostly developed by the top management on the basis of vision, it acts as a point of reference for various stakeholders. Mission statements offer employees with an understanding of the purpose and goals. 

How mission and vision tell crucial stories? These instil the sense of mission amongst the employees, besides aligning strategy with the culture of the organization. For a transnational or multi-national or even in a huge domestic company, “vision” and “mission” has a unifying effect, helping leadership create and infuse continuity of purpose in quickly changing or turbulent times. 

A story of an envisioned future, indicating the aspirations of an organization – what it wishes to become, to achieve, or to create. 

Branding – Let’s tell a story  

Before we delve deep into branding and rebranding exercises, let’s define some concepts for easy understanding. The first one is Target groups (TG). What is a TG and what do they do? TG is a company’s audience whom the company wishes to inform. TG is segmented into age group, profession, gender, marital status, educational background, geographic area etc. 

The communicators must know the TG to tailor their messages to be "appropriate and interesting" and use "different tactics and different communication tools" to reach the defined TG. 

The next one is “Messages”. Does an advertising slogan or a marketing line is the "message"? Not exactly.  A message is a simple and clear idea that summarises the essence of a company’s programme or projects. Leaflets, brochures, websites, intranet, blogs, media interviews, stakeholder interaction/conversations need to revolve around one or more corporate messages.

What is a Brand? “Name, symbol, design or mark that enhances the value of a product beyond its functional purpose, ” says Aaker (1991). Dunnion and Knox (2004) connected brands with communication, vision, identity, culture, promise or image. Kotler (2003) makes branding the corner stone of marketing, “Perhaps the most distinctive skill of professional marketers is their ability to create, maintain, protect and enhance brands. Branding is the art and cornerstone of marketing.’’

Simply put, brands represent a set of values, promises and a personality. Having a meaning to external and internal audience, it is more than the name that the collateral carries. 

Every brand has a story. Airbnb says “it is a trusted community marketplace for consumers to list, discover, and book unique accommodations for unique travel experiences.” Airbnb has shaken the hotel industry by bringing in its “Welcome Home” concept. Result, loyal and ever-increasing consumer base.  When people hear Airbnb, it’s much more than a name. They relate the name to their experience, or with experiences of others that they have heard. 

Brand story is not only a corporate version. It’s a story that gets co-created by the company – the way they want it to be and the audience – the way they wish to hear. A brand is incomplete without an effective brand story.   

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Assistant Professor – With a cumulative experience of more than 13 years, Subhrajit has two Master’s Degrees in Communication, one from Symbiosis in Pune and the other from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. A seasoned Public Relations, Corporate Communications and Digital Marketing professional, he has worked in organizations such as Ogilvy, Mahindra & Mahindra, Accenture, and DuPont with leadership and cross-functional teams across various countries in Asia, Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa. Subhrajit was granted the prestigious J.N. Tata (2009) and Sir Dorabji Tata (2009) scholarships instituted by the Tata Trust enabling Indian students to pursue higher studies internationally.