Turning purpose into a social impact compass
“What does keeping technology human actually mean for the role Odido wants to play in society?”
Odido has a powerful purpose: “We fight to keep tech human.”
But a compelling purpose doesn't automatically tell an organization what to do.
Technology has become indispensable to everyday life while our relationship with it has grown increasingly complicated. It connects us, entertains us and empowers us — but also raises questions about loneliness, screen time, mental wellbeing, privacy and the quality of our relationships.
Odido already had partnerships, campaigns and social initiatives addressing parts of this landscape. But the underlying question remained:
What does keeping technology human actually mean for the role Odido wants to play in society?
Without a sharper answer, strong individual initiatives risked remaining fragmented and the purpose provided too little guidance for choices about social impact.
Using the Human Context, we explored the changing relationship between humans and technology and investigated societal themes including social connection, loneliness, screen time and mental wellbeing.
We then connected this outside-in perspective with Odido's existing purpose, materiality work, brand, partnerships, initiatives and ambitions.
From this, we identified the societal territories in which Odido could play a relevant and legitimate role and translated them into Guiding Principles: clear principles for deciding what the company should — and should not — do in social impact.
The next step was to make these principles operational through a Social Impact Framework, connecting societal themes to actions, partnerships and measurable KPIs. A multidisciplinary team spanning areas including brand, corporate communication, reputation and sustainability helped test and sharpen the framework.
The shift was from:
“We fight to keep tech human” as an inspiring belief
to:
a shared understanding of what “human” means and what that requires Odido to do.
That turns purpose from communication into a decision-making tool.
Instead of asking whether an isolated partnership or campaign feels appropriate for the brand, Odido can ask whether it addresses a relevant human need, whether Odido has a legitimate right to act, what impact it can create, and how the initiative contributes to the wider social impact ambition.
The work gives Odido greater clarity about the societal role it wants to play and a framework for making future choices more consistently.
Existing partnerships, propositions and initiatives can be assessed against the same ambitions. New initiatives can be designed to reinforce rather than compete with one another. And internal teams have more concrete guidance for translating the company's purpose into action.
The approach also connects social impact more explicitly with ESG and sustainability ambitions, creating a stronger bridge between what the organization does internally, what the brand promises externally and where Odido chooses to contribute to society.
Purpose becomes valuable when it helps an organization make choices. Human context turns a purpose into action.
