Why do marketers need to understand the vision and mission of a company before they create campaigns?

Great question! For a marketer understanding the vision and mission is a key component that will drive the marketing mix. As an example, H&M is a very interesting company with a strong vision i.e. sustainability. If we look at H&M marketing efforts, everything is driven by the vision to provide affordable and quality fashion in a sustainable way. Products are designed as per the brand’s commitment to utilize recycled plastic and organic cotton; price is kept low because sustainability efforts are continuously reducing the cost of producing raw material: cotton growers are trained to minimize use of pesticide and water, which reduces cost, thus reducing price for the customer. Promotional efforts emphasize the recycling attitude customer ought to adopt which is a strategic component of the mix and a true differentiator against competitors (Zara, UniqLo, Gap).

I am still amazed to observe that many organizations are run without a clear vision and mission to guide efforts towards achieving measurable results… Reaching the Bottom line cannot be a mission!

Because in order for them to do a campaign they need to understand what a company is about and its purpose before presenting it to the world. Also, when they come across questions about what the company is exactly trying to do, they are able to deliver the right information to gain more customer.

Agreed with  Karym Bentebbal

Thanks for the A2A.

The vision and the mission of the firm help define the framework within which a marketer can operate. They are the boundaries which a marketer cannot cross at any cost. But within those boundaries, she/he should have freedom to play around when it comes to setting up and executing campaigns.

Examples of such visions that the management may have could cover everything from company policies regarding use/non-use of brand ambassadors, colour scheme usage in campaigns, ethical and moral code of the company etc. The vision of the management has an impact on everything from the tagline to the TVC and everything in between and has to be followed at all costs.