The terms' mission statement' and 'purpose statement' are commonly used interchangeably. Nonetheless, these terms have some subtle yet significant differences. Simply put, a mission statement describes what the company does and how it does it. A purpose statement, on the other hand, usually focuses on why a brand does what it does — it explains its reason for being or "raison de d 'être. Moreover, a company's mission statement is rational and functional, while a company's purpose statement usually comes from the heart and focuses on the emotional side of the business. As a result, the mission statement usually also includes the brand's purpose statement.