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38 PART 1 UNDERSTANDING MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Defining the Corporate Mission

An organization exists to accomplish something: to make cars, lend money, provide a night’s lodg-
ing. Over time, the mission may change, to take advantage of new opportunities or respond to new
market conditions. Amazon.com changed its mission from being the world’s largest online book-
store to aspiring to become the world’s largest online store; eBay changed from running online
auctions for collectors to running online auctions of all kinds of goods; and Dunkin’ Donuts
switched its emphasis from doughnuts to coffee.
To define its mission, a company should address Peter Drucker’s classic questions: 13 What
is our business? Who is the customer? What is of value to the customer? What will our business
be? What should our business be? These simple-sounding questions are among the most
difficult a company will ever have to answer. Successful companies continuously raise and
answer them.
Organizations develop mission statements to share with managers, employees, and (in many
cases) customers. A clear, thoughtful mission statement provides a shared sense of purpose, direc-
tion, and opportunity.
Mission statements are at their best when they reflect a vision, an almost “impossible dream”
that provides direction for the next 10 to 20 years. Sony’s former president, Akio Morita, wanted
everyone to have access to “personal portable sound,” so his company created the Walkman and
portable CD player. Fred Smith wanted to deliver mail anywhere in the United States before 10:30 AM
the next day, so he created FedEx.
Good mission statements have five major characteristics.

1. They focus on a limited number of goals. The statement “We want to produce the highest-
quality products, offer the most service, achieve the widest distribution, and sell at the lowest
prices” claims too much.
2. They stress the company’s major policies and values. They narrow the range of individual
discretion so employees act consistently on important issues.
3. They define the major competitive spheres within which the company will operate. Table 2.2
summarizes some key competitive dimensions for mission statements.
4. They take a long-term view. Management should change the mission only when it ceases
to be relevant.
5. They are as short, memorable, and meaningful as possible. Marketing consultant Guy
Kawasaki advocates developing three- to four-word corporate mantras rather than mission
statements, like “Enriching Women’s Lives” for Mary Kay. 14
Compare the rather vague mission statements on the left with Google’s mission statement and phi-
losophy on the right:

To build total brand value by innovating to deliver Google Mission
customer value and customer leadership faster, To organize the world’s information and make it
better, and more completely than our competition. universally accessible and useful.
We build brands and make the world a little Google Philosophy
happier by bringing our best to you. Never settle for the best.
1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.
2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
3. Fast is better than slow.
4. Democracy on the Web works.
5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need
an answer.
6. You can make money without doing evil.
7. There is always more information out there.
8. The need for information crosses all borders.
9. You can be serious without a suit.
10. Great just isn’t good enough. 15