Today I’m sharing 11 purpose statement examples from global companies.
You’ll know the companies but you may not know their purpose statement.
Your purpose is an intention – a stated goal or reason for doing something.
And a purpose statement declares the core reason for an organization’s existence. It’s answering the question: Why does this company exist? In other words, Why are we here?
NOTE: The video is designed as a quiz to have you guess which company has which purpose statement. If you want to play along, watch the video first – and don’t scroll down the page to see the answers.
1 Google
To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
For me, this is the best purpose statement example on this list. It almost cannot be any other company in the world. And it is consistent with Google’s original mission around building a search engine.
2 Tesla
To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
The smart part of this purpose statement is that Tesla acknowledges they are not the only ones pursuing sustainable energy. And they can’t do it alone. But they sure can help ‘accelerate the transition’.
3 Amazon
To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.
This purpose statement is a little on the long side for me. This is because it has three distinct parts. The first statement (the Earth’s most customer-centric company) is a great goal. While there are plenty of customer-centric companies, they want to be the best. Next, they state where they operate – it’s all online. And finally, they offer a value statement for offering the lowest prices.
Do they need all three? Maybe. The ultimate test is whether it works for the stakeholders. That is inspire their workforce – and attract new people. Does it need to work for customers, too? In today’s world of information access, a purpose statement is ultimately part of your branding so it helps if it appeals to customers also.
4 Microsoft
To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
I get it. But I don’t like it. ‘To achieve more’ is too generic for me. It does work. Their use of technology is about helping us achieve more. But I think a million other companies on the planet could claim the same purpose statement. By itself, that’s not a bad thing. Given a purpose is a high-level statement, many people will likely pursue similar purposes. But, as you can see in some of the other examples here (eg Disney) having a special word or phrase may have been a simple way to make it special.
5 Starbucks
To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.
This is a good mix of general and specific. To nurture the human spirit is a general purpose that many of us could mimic. But ‘one cup’ and even ‘one neighbourhood’ helps personalize it to Starbucks. For instance, McDonalds could claim ‘one neighbourhood’, but they wouldn’t claim ‘one cup’.
6 Nike
To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. (And if you have a body, you are an athlete.)
‘Athlete’ is the key word here. And while there are plenty of other athletic brands, the key is the personality shown in the second sentence – ‘and if you have a body, you are an athlete’. That gives warmth and grunt to the Nike brand and purpose.
7 Coca-Cola
To refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions.
This one doesn’t work for me. I love bits of it but not all of it. The word ‘refresh’ is great. It’s what I think of when I think of a cold bottle or can of Coca-Cola. The mind, body and spirit is a bit of a stretch for me. I don’t relate this to a sugary drink. Their purpose could have simply been ‘to refresh the human spirit’. It’s short, specific and has their keyword, ‘refresh’ in the middle.
8 IKEA
To create a better everyday life for many people by offering 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.
This one just fits IKEA so well. It’s practical, down-to-earth and filled with their values. But still inspiring: ‘to create a better everyday life’. And it’s followed by five value statements: well-designed, functional, home-furnishings, low prices, and affordable.
Typically, a purpose statement is about why – why you exist. This statement does that. Typically, values are about ‘how’ – this is how we will act or approach it. This is a good combination of both.
9 Patagonia
To build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
I’m a bit underwhelmed by this purpose statement. Patagonia has a fabulous and well-deserved reputation for their products and approach to the environment. This purpose statement captures that. But it’s also generic. A lot of other companies could claim a similar purpose.
This points to the two parts of purpose (and any declaration of your intention eg goal, vision, or mission). The first is the easy part – make a declaration about your intention. And the second, the hard part, is to act like it. Bring your intention to life. Perhaps I’m being hard on Patagonia because I highly regard their work.
10 Disney
To entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, creating happiness and magic in every corner of the world.
This is a general purpose statement that several other companies, like Netflix or Pixar, could easily claim. But the thing that makes this the purpose statement of Disney lives in one keyword: happiness. It’s the word founder Walt Disney used to describe Disneyland: to create the happiest place on the planet. And that’s what I mean when I say some of these examples are too general. They’re missing that keyword or piece of personality that makes it yours and almost no one else’s. And that’s something to aspire to – your word or your words. (The Magic Kingdom is another Disney reference in this purpose statement example.)
11 Airbnb
To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable.
This is another example where keywords make or break the purpose statements. Many travel companies, like Expedia or Carnival Cruise Lines, could have a similar purpose statement to this one. Except, for the keywords ‘local’ and ‘authentic’. I think this is what sets Airbnb apart. Typical hotel chains, airlines or cruise lines can’t claim that.
3 Tips to Write Your Purpose Statement
What can we learn from these 11 Purpose Statement examples? Here are three tips to help:
- A purpose statement doesn’t have to be unique – but it helps. A purpose statement’s purpose (sic) is to guide you and inspire action. Achieve this and your job is done. But there is another level here. For organisations, your purpose statement is also a crucial part of your brand. This means it can be used to attract customers, employees and other stakeholders. Being unique helps these people choose between your organisation and someone else’s.
- One word may make all the difference. Your entire Purpose Statement is not likely to be the first time anyone has ever uttered those words. Instead, the Starbucks (one cup) and Disney (happiness) examples show the power of a single word to make your purpose statement unique.
- Which of these 11 purpose statements is your favourite? Which ones don’t appeal? Regardless of what you create as your Purpose Statement, some people will love it and others won’t. You don’t have to appeal to everyone. You just have to ensure it works for you and your stakeholders.
More Purpose Statement Examples
If you want more Purpose Statement examples then check out these posts:
- What is a manifesto? 21 Synonyms for Manifesto – A purpose statement is a type of manifesto. This post shares other examples and synonyms.
- 12 Personal Mission Statement Examples by Famous People – Compare and contrast the purpose statements in this post with these personal mission statement examples. How are they similar? How are they different?
- The dirty big difference between vision and mission – And which one do you need?
