core/paragraph

On the latest episode of Brand2Brand, hosts Thomas and Veronica pull out their B.S. detectors to evaluate the viability of the corporate mission statement. Is it still the foundation which brands and companies are built upon or an anchor preventing them from quickly changing direction? The hosts’ primary subjects are GE and JetBlue - two successful brands with two distinct mission statements. Which one still feels fresh? Which one just smells like B.S.? More on point, is fulfilling the macro goals of the mission statement causing companies and brands to miss what’s happening in the micro-moment? Join your hosts as they follow their noses and ask an obvious question: does your mission statement pass the smell test?

core/button

<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://brand2brand.captivate.fm/episode/ge-vs-jetblue-your-mission-statement-is-b-s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen Now</a></div>

core/buttons

core/heading

core/list-item

<li><a href="https://www.ge.com/about-us">https://www.ge.com/about-us</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.ge.com/about-us"></a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/jack-welch-died.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/jack-welch-died.html</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/jack-welch-died.html"></a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonysilber/2018/06/20/multinational-conglomerate-ge-goes-all-in-on-content-marketing/?sh=596692c863da">https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonysilber/2018/06/20/multinational-conglomerate-ge-goes-all-in-on-content-marketing/?sh=596692c863da</a>&nbsp;</li>

<li><a href="https://www.jetblue.com/">https://www.jetblue.com/</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.jetblue.com/"></a><a href="https://brandfolder.com/interviews/jetblue">https://brandfolder.com/interviews/jetblue</a></li>

<li><a href="https://brandfolder.com/interviews/jetblue"></a><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2020-11611756016">https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2020-11611756016</a><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2020-11611756016"></a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jetblue-airways-fares-idUSKBN2AG2LZ">https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jetblue-airways-fares-idUSKBN2AG2LZ</a></li>

core/list

core/separator

<h3>TRANSCRIPTION FROM AUDIO PODCAST:</h3>

Veronica&nbsp;&nbsp;

You're listening to Brand2Brand. A not-so-serious marketing show for serious marketers. With your host, Thomas Stirling.

Welcome back, everyone. We are digging deep into the fundamentals of corporate brand strategy. A lot of people are saying, "Hey, what does this mission statement really mean anymore? Is it just a bunch of vacuous words? Does it tie back to anything?" And gone are the days of strategic planning these multi-year plans where we set out an agenda for five years - during COVID, amidst COVID, people have really put that as a back seat, but it's starting to come back. People are starting to say, "Okay, is this a time to look back," and in many cases, that strategic planning all comes back to that mission statement. It's something I think we could all get more out of. What's your take on this, V?&nbsp;

I feel like a lot of brands seem to be suffering from an existential crisis. It is crazy, though. There's probably people listening right now, you don't even know what the hell your company's mission statement is. Or, maybe you wrote it, and then you just put it away and you never thought about it again.

I'm gonna defend our listeners, they all have it. They brought it with them. They knew we were talking to our listeners. They have it, they're ready. It means something to them. They're moved by it. It is the drum, the pulse that gets them up every day.&nbsp;

Ok, that's great for them, but are they making it actionable for the rest of their team? So it's like filtering across every single thing. It's a lot of work.

They brought their homework. They didn't know they were supposed to do a whole bunch of extra vision and mission sessions.

It was for extra credit! I think our listeners are overachievers.

You were just throwing them under the bus!

With that, you want to get into it?

GE or JetBlue? Who you gonna go with today?

Well, I actually have the JetBlue credit card, and I'm a frequent flyer, so I'm going to ease my seat back with my extensive legroom and fly away...

A true brand loyalist. Won over by a card scheme.

Yeah, that's true, I know. I fell right for it. I guess you really say they swept me off my feet. I guess that puts you with GE and our buddy, Jack Welch.&nbsp;

Well, Jack's no longer with the company, but I'm happy to share my point of view. But - let's start with the origin story. GE, 125 years in business, started as General Electric by Thomas Edison in 1889. Their mission statement: "We rise to the challenge of building a world that works."&nbsp;&nbsp;

I guess the mission statement works. It's frustrating when products don't work, so I think that's something I can get behind.

Yeah. In a world where so many things that we buy online are cheap, and don't work very well, or just kind of fall apart, they actually put a commercial together addressing that. And it really was debuting this sort of messaging. Let me play it for you.&nbsp;

“Everyone wakes up every morning to a world that must keep turning. Moving. Going. The world can't stop. So neither can we. Because while gravity may keep our planet on its axis, it's what we build that keeps things moving forward.”&nbsp;

I mean, something like that is just beautiful, heartwarming, and it just shows you how this messaging can be leveraged. And aspirationally, in that video you're seeing teachers classrooms, students, all people walks of life, people walking in engineers, inspecting facilities, things happening, people at home, making coffee. Showing us a world that's powered by GE products, because they make all sorts of things.&nbsp;

JetBlue's mission statement is to inspire humanity - both in the air and on the ground.&nbsp;

How do they do it on the ground? Because I'm usually in the air.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I really have to say after doing the research (whispers) this is one that kind of smells like bullshit. Like why, you're inspiring humanity? Okay...anyways. JetBlue - and I do have a clip we can play to also introduce this, this mission statement in just a moment as well - began as a startup in JFK, which a lot of people thought was an impossible feat. They did it and the brand has really taken off since then. From the beginning though, this company has definitely gripped onto the mission that it is different and it stands out from the competition. And I think their clip on their brand mission statement definitely tells that story.&nbsp;

“And when JetBlue was founded, it was founded with a difference and that was to bring humanity back to air travel. We recognize that to be responsible to our business, and to our brand, and to our customers, we need to adapt to what their needs are. We look for long-term relationships. We're not in this to do a BAM, here's the new product, and then "Thank you all. See you later." We look for people that make a relationship with us that lasts.”&nbsp;

So I know I was making fun of JetBlue's mission statement about inspiring humanity. I think it's a little bit lofty for a mission statement and for an airline to talk about that. I do like that clip, because it talks about the humble beginnings of JetBlue's brand, really setting out to bring some semblance of "Airfare can be for everybody and accessible to everybody." And that is super cool because you never see class more clearly - especially in America - than on an airplane. You're heading to Economy, you pass all the people in Business Class and First Class. Those are generally people who have a little bit more money.&nbsp;

They overpay, that's what you gotta think to yourself.&nbsp;

They definitely overpaid. Why do they make eye contact when I'm climbing back to coach with the farts of the poor?&nbsp;

Why do they load them first? Why do they wait to seat us plebians?&nbsp;

Because they want to sit there and look at you and go, "Mmm Hmmm."

If I was them, I'd want to pull a curtain and say -&nbsp;

That's what you think to reconcile the feeling of pride as you shuffle to the back and try to find a spot for your suitcase. But, this brand has really, really leaned into that. And that is something that has carried them to where they are today.&nbsp;

But that's enough about your world. And in the sky. Let's get back to GE. GE - go to their website, and you experience that mission, GE has some powerful visuals, they're "About" page leads with their purpose first, then notes their leadership. And they've had a host of really significant leaders, Jack Welch being one that we're going to talk about in a little bit. Beyond that, they present that their leadership team and the board are committed to this mission. Following that, they have statements about their commitment to innovation. Next, they have environmental, social, and governance. "GE brings to market the innovative solutions that deliver essential energy, healthcare, and transportation infrastructure. We work with the highest integrity, compliance, culture, and respect for human rights, while also reducing the impact of our technology and environmental footprint." I could go either way on that. There's some strong points there. It's getting a little close to corporate speak here, which is hard when you're in the clouds.&nbsp;

Another thing I will say about JetBlue, and about how their mission and their brand ladders back to their employees that I thought was awesome, and is also going to this like, "corporate New Agey brand-speak" that they think is so hot, because everyone loves their own brand, which is: they refer to their employees as crew members. Even those who don't hold the front lines. The words that they use, they started to create this kind of cult following. And you and I've talked about this, don't all outwardly talk about "People drinking the company Kool Aid," that's not like a good thing? And they actually talk about having their crew members go to JetBlue University to learn about the company and "drink the blue juice" which means you get a healthy dose of the JetBlue Brain.&nbsp;

Take the red juice or the blue juice and choose your own adventure.

&nbsp;In one juice you can stay awake for the whole flight, but watch the greatest movies of your life. With another juice, you could sleep for the entire flight and wake up at your life.&nbsp;

Well, I recommend the red juice for a red-eye. But that's just me, it's really up to you. It's whatever images appear really nice with a red-eye. Speaking of values, GE says to its team, says to its employees, puts it on its site, "Act with humility, lead with transparency, and deliver with focus." And that brings us to Jack Welch, a person that has been absolutely revered. Takes GE and transforms it from $14 billion to more than $410 billion when he retired in 2001. He was held as a standard-bearer and idealized by business students. This book, "Welch: An American Icon" details all about his business philosophy, the business units that GE kept. But how did he get to that number? He got to that number specifically within acquisitions.&nbsp;

And you also said what he kept, which and I think that was a big part of his legacy. He cut a lot, too.&nbsp;

And you said as a corporate leader, kind of a tough guy to work with.

Yeah, Neutron Jack. It's so interesting because my only real connection to understanding GE or even Jack Welch - I didn't read that book - but I know him from his cameo in 30 Rock. For those of you don't watch 30 Rock, there was a character - Jack Donaghy - who was definitely inspired by this persona that Jack Welch embodied, and Alec Baldwin was playing this character. They actually had Jack Welch make a cameo in an episode of 30 Rock, where he is also in a meta way making fun of his own brand and his own legacy of being this hardass. You got to give him some credit to lean into it like that. So we should play the clip.&nbsp;

“Mr. Welch, it's good to see you again.&nbsp; Please, John, call me Jack.&nbsp; I actually go by Jack as well. I don't think so. Well, I'd like to talk to Don. I know he's here.&nbsp; He is here. But he's dead. He died three weeks ago. The company wanted to keep it quiet until the deal went through. So I've been hiding him - In your freezer, just like we did with Hiram Shinehart during the RCA deal.&nbsp; Look, I know how much Don meant to you, and if you need to pass some eye water I'll be happy to go out and get you some weakness tissues.&nbsp; No, I'm not crying.”&nbsp;

Oh, my goodness tissues. He was a tough guy. He said, as he broke out his people, that you'd keep the top 20%. You'd mentor the next 70%. And you'd cut the next 10% annually. Every year. You weren't driving results? You're dead. You're in a freezer. Last thing I'll say about GE under Jack Welch, his leadership, he laid off over 100,000 workers. At one point he even said - you know, huge focus around globalization moving his factories overseas. At one point he even said, if he had his way he put every GE plant on a barge, aka, like, you could literally just float it around wherever things were the cheapest. Now in today's world, we're seeing so much more of an effort toward bringing factories back to America. Making manufacturing happen, seeing supply chain disruption. In the situations that we find ourselves in today, us having control of our manufacturing, having it local is extraordinarily important. So again, looking back at anyone's leadership, you know, 20 years - who knows how we're going to be judged 20 years into the future? We don't have a crystal ball. But it's certainly interesting to see someone like this, an American icon, and just how much has changed in business, and how important it is to take a fresh look at our own mission statements. So with that all said, if we wanted to talk about any other brands, and their mission statements, any others come to mind?&nbsp;

Start with the basic building block of all narrative.

In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing.

Paragraph

Prompt visitors to take action with a group of button-style links.

Buttons

Prompt visitors to take action with a button-style link.

Button

<div class="wp-block-buttons"><div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://brand2brand.captivate.fm/episode/ge-vs-jetblue-your-mission-statement-is-b-s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen Now</a></div></div>

Introduce new sections and organize content to help visitors (and search engines) understand the structure of your content.

Heading

An organized collection of items displayed in a specific order.

List

List item

<ul><li><a href="https://www.ge.com/about-us">https://www.ge.com/about-us</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ge.com/about-us"></a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/jack-welch-died.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/jack-welch-died.html</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/business/jack-welch-died.html"></a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonysilber/2018/06/20/multinational-conglomerate-ge-goes-all-in-on-content-marketing/?sh=596692c863da">https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonysilber/2018/06/20/multinational-conglomerate-ge-goes-all-in-on-content-marketing/?sh=596692c863da</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.jetblue.com/">https://www.jetblue.com/</a></li><li><a href="https://www.jetblue.com/"></a><a href="https://brandfolder.com/interviews/jetblue">https://brandfolder.com/interviews/jetblue</a></li><li><a href="https://brandfolder.com/interviews/jetblue"></a><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2020-11611756016">https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2020-11611756016</a><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2020-11611756016"></a></li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jetblue-airways-fares-idUSKBN2AG2LZ">https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jetblue-airways-fares-idUSKBN2AG2LZ</a></li></ul>

GE vs. Jetblue: Your Mission Statement is B.S.