Steak-umm’s Twitter Exploits Millennial Angst to Sell Sliced Steaks | Eater
"A Pennsylvania-based frozen, sliced steak maker has cultivated a viral, faux-millennial social media persona that blends absurdist meme humor with self-aware product promotion; its Twitter account adopts a cynical, “sad millennial” voice (the social-media manager, Nathan Allebach, confirmed he is a “sad millennial”) and even launched a tongue-in-cheek presidential run with the slogan “Bring Beef Back to America.” The stunt-driven strategy—likened to the absurdist tone of MoonPie, the goading confidence of Wendy’s, and the existential parody of Nihilist Arby’s—has included a campaign to win Twitter verification and the sale of blue-check commemorative t-shirts, hoodies, and mugs. Despite the online bravado, the actual product is a processed, homogenized block of emulsified beef trimmings pressed into a loaf, sliced and frozen (a 2012 lawsuit detailed its composition), and therefore runs counter to many millennial shoppers’ preferences for antibiotic-free, hormone-free, all-natural, or sustainable options. Overall, it reads as a self-aware, attention-seeking brand performance that mixes genuine cultural resonance with clear commercial motives." - Brenna Houck
