The Mjölnir test for category creators
“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he/she be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” ― Stan Lee
The Mjölnir. A fictional and magical weapon. Odin Thor’s dad, placed a bunch of enchantments on it before he gave it to Thor.
- You cannot wield it unless you are worthy.
- It can help you control storm elements — namely lightning.
- Once thrown, it always returns back to your hand.
Odin had the foresight to temper power with worthiness. He knew an unchecked all-powerful Thor with a weapon capable of leveling mountains was too big a risk.
Category design without impact design is Thor and Mjölnir without the enchantments.
I remember watching Avengers Endgame in the theatre. Hearing the crowds roar when Captain America picked up Mjölnir. When you are worthy you do not need to seek power, it will come to you when you need it the most. But you HAVE to be the man/woman in the arena.
I sometimes wish there was a Mjölnir test for category creators. A way to check if we are worthy. This is why I feel so strongly about impact-driven category design. Whilst there is no hammer that we can pick up to prove our worthiness we can start with a checklist:
- What is the purpose of your company?
- What pressing problem will it solve?
- What are your sources of funding? Are they impact-driven, social investors?
- Can you build an impact-driven movement around it?
- How will it affect the planet, society, and communities?
- Is your category name an impact-driven one or a functional one?
The irony is when Google and Facebook originated they would have probably passed the Mjölnir test. When Google was created it had a “don’t be evil” clause, Facebook was on a social mission to make the world a more open and connected place. The road to hell truly is paved with good intentions.
Unlike with the Mjölnir, there was no magical way for us to check for continued worthiness.
Let’s look at an example.
The former President of the USA won in 2016 by promising to make America great again. In 2020 he lost. Why? Joe Biden ran on the promise to heal and restore America’s Soul.
Let’s dissect these two “categories” a bit more.
make America great again — functional and polarizing
to heal and restore America’s Soul — impact-driven and unifying
Joe Biden’s campaign has found the holy grail of impact-driven category naming (will cover this in another post). Let's check back with our checklist though:
- Purpose — to heal and restore America’s soul
- Pressing Problem — the polarization of the American people
- Sources of funding — Finance, Securities & Investment, and Education and grassroots.
- Impact-driven movement? Check
- Affect on the planet, society, and community — rejoining of the Paris Agreement, COVID relief bill, and more…
And that’s very simply why the 45th President of the United States lost his reelection bid. You might say oh but he did get 72 million votes. That's true. He did. And Thanos did manage to wipe out 50% of all living beings, ONCE.
The Biden administration has proved its worthiness and executed a well-planned lighting strike. The true test of Biden’s impact-driven category worthiness lies in his ability to on a daily basis unify his polar opposites, embrace his critics. Worthiness isn’t a privilege you inherit, it's earned. Its something we need to strive for every day and the checklist above can act as a mirror.
Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page may consider themselves worthy — they have wealth, power, and influence. Fortunately for us, worthiness isn’t a reflection of net worth, how much you make in an hour, or which world leader you had dinner with.
Worthiness is about character, about impact. The impact you have on the planet, society, and communities. That impact will be felt long after you leave. History decides who is worthy and who is not. And history is not our friend or a misguided loved one. History doesn’t make excuses. How we choose to act now will decide how history will judge us.
Every great civilization has a defining moment. That pivotal point that will make or break it. Well, this is ours.
- 2035 the first arctic summer without ice
- Only 8 years left to turn things around — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
There is a line being drawn in the sand and we need to make a stand.
Marketers/Category Creators we need to lead the charge. We need to pick up Mjölnir, prove ourselves worthy, and plan those unifying impact-driven lightning strikes. We need to be in the frontlines fighting for the soul of our planet. This isn’t just about creating market share this about creating planet-saving categories. This is about history and we need to Play Bigger.