The Best Big Brand April Fools’ Day Pranks

04/04/2017

Thanks to more big brands having in-house creative teams and close working relationships with agencies, coupled with the ease of distribution with social, each year we’re seeing April Fools pranks becoming more and more popular amongst businesses.

Whipping up a successful April Fools campaign can have huge benefits for your brand voice; it makes you seem youthful (even if the brand has been around for decades), fun, knowledgeable – and most importantly, it makes you relatable.

A unique and creative concept crafted for April Fools will strike a chord with your audience, catalyse conversations, and harnesses both the benefits of reactive marketing and loud marketing.

But, enough chit-chat, here’s a round-up of our favourite pranks this year!

Our Top April Fools’ Day Pranks:

Google Play

Ever feel guilty about leaving your pets all day without stimulation? Introducing Google Play for Pets, a new category of games, apps and training tools to keep your pets occupied in your absence!

McDonald’s

Bored of struggling to get through a Big Mac? (Yeah, I know, I don’t struggle either). Why not try McDonald’s new burger this April Fools… the Micro Mac.

Virgin Atlantic

What better day than April Fools to announce new flight technology? Richard Brandson even got on board with this gag:

Google Home Gnome

Now that Alexa has your home sorted, it’s time to get your garden under control too – this one might be a little sassier though…

BMW

Realistically, making your dog happy is the driving force for most people; that’s probably why BMW have launched the dDrive dog basket this April Fool’s Day.

Mall of America

This mall in America has introduced specifically designated texting lanes, now you won’t hold up traffic or slam into people while texting and walking!

Paddy Power

Wondering where to place your bets this April Fools’ Day? How about Paddy Powers’ new Seahorse Race…

So, what have we learnt from April Fools’ Day this year? When it comes to PC/PG humour, animals are a safe bet.

Loved the pranks and want to see more? Check the gags that AdWeek loved.

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