Linda McMahon just handed A.1. steak sauce an unbelievable opportunity
On a panel this week, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, the former WWE CEO who is now charged with making sweeping decisions for 100 million American school children, repeatedly referred to AI technology as “A1.”
For McMahon, who was speaking at the ASU+GSV Summit for educators, it was an embarrassing mistake. But for Kraft Heinz’s A.1. steak sauce, it was basically free product placement—and the brand didn’t hesitate to take its cut.
McMahon’s first slipup occurred when she shared an anecdote with the audience about “a school system that’s going to start making sure that first graders, or even pre-Ks, have A1 teaching in every year.” Matters only got worse when she continued, “Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything. It wasn’t all that long ago that it was, ‘We’re going to have internet in our schools!’ Now let’s see A1 and how that can be helpful.” Well, um, maybe it can help the cafeteria meatloaf taste better?
A.1. was thinking along the same lines. The brand jumped on Instagram yesterday with a spoofed ad for a McMahon-inspired A.1. bottle, complete with a photoshopped version of the sauce with the label “For educational purposes only” accompanied by the slogan, “Agree, best to start them early.” The post was captioned, “You heard her. Every school should have access to A.1.”
Heinz is no stranger to thinking up limited-edition novelty goods, from its neon pink Barbie-cue sauce to a Taylor Swift-inspired ranch and portable Velveeta packets. But this is the first time (that we know of) when the company has used its stunt marketing resumé to make a jab at a political figure.
So far, A.1.’s loyal fans seem to be in support of its “new sauce.”
“My husband wants a bottle for his desk,” one commenter wrote under the brand’s post. “He teaches middle school, at least until they replace him with A.1.”