To April Fools or to not: Why some brands and agencies are opting out

We don't know about you, but here at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, one of our favorite things to do come April is to check out all the fun and creative April Fools campaigns that agencies and brands pull out for the occasion.  So, imagine our surprise this week when we reached out to multiple agencies and learnt that many of them were not planning April Fool's Day activations and campaigns for their clients and brands. 

Now admittedly, comedy is hard to pull off and not everyone can get it right (remember when Volkswagen US tried to rebrand itself as "Voltswagen of America" in 2021 and landed itself in some hot water when people actually believed it and stocks rose?). Which is why, perhaps, the sun might be setting on the days of bizarre product launches and food combinations that send journalists chasing their tails trying to figure out if things are real or not - not cool Volkswagen. 

Don't miss: Real or fake? Product and campaign launches this April Fool's Day

We decided to get to the bottom of it and reached out to agency professions to figure out why some brands are no longer prioritising April Fool's Day and how effective these campaigns really are.

The issue it would seem, stems with the fact that there is an increased sense of skepticism when it comes to consumers and, quite simply, too tight of a budget.

From a PR perspective, Charu Srivastava, the chief strategy officer and corporate affair lead at strategic communications consultancy TriOn & Co said:

Agencies and brands are working with tighter budgets and added pressures to make each cent count. 

Add to that the ask for purposeful and intentional engagement with customers, and you have brands and agencies being more mindful of campaign efforts. Srivastava added that it's basically a balance of investment and purpose, and that April Fool's Day campaigns are increasingly not the answer to that equation.

Brands are constantly looking for ideas to engage with their audience, according to Ivan Ng, the cofounder and creative director at Yatta Workshop. April Fools is just one day where brands can break the rules and go completely off brand. However, these campaigns are always limited to some absurd new flavor from a F&B brand or some out of this world promo that will happen, he explained.

"We classify these as pranks and people don’t like to fall for pranks twice. So, throughout the years, from a 'Haha' response, you now get a 'Like'," he said. Moreover, we are now we are in the age of disinformation on the social front and that brands have definitely taken that into consideration when considering prank content.

"In fact, on April Fool's Day, brands are now pushing real promos and content with captions like 'this is not a joke!'" he added.

Adding on, Matthew Zeng, the co-founder and managing director at DSTNCT noted that people tend to forget that the joy in April Fools lies not just in how creative or out of this world brands can get, but also in the mastery of blending kayfabe and reality.

"The realer it seems, the more uncertain it is, the bigger the return when one finally finds out they got tricked. Today that latter part is missing as brands are just throwing out crazy ideas on 1 April each year, with audiences recognising that it’s their attempt at an April Fool's joke," Zeng said. 

However, all hope is not lost with April Fool's campaigns, according to Kenny Yap, the managing director of Socialyse and Red Havas. He noted that while it is key to entertain and engage key audiences continuously and consistently through the year, brands do stand to gain during April Fools as there is usually a spotlight on the celebration among media which enables brands to secure earned coverage.

"Because of this merged media opportunity, brands that excel with their April Fools’ campaigns do very well in driving and achieving strong organic conversations," he said.

What your agency really wants you as a brand to know about April Fool's Day campaigns

"It’s a little passè!" said Kimberley Olsen, the co-founder of digital agency Yatta Workshop when asked about April Fool's Day campaigns. "I feel at this point it’s just too predictable and brands pretending to launch a new flavor or item feels a bit tired."

Olsen added that she feels the trend has significantly died down and that there is no need to push a campaign out for it unless there really is something worth spinning on.  

"Don't get me wrong, as social media led agency, we've done our fair share of April Fools posts but this year, when the idea was floated by the team, and everyone straight up said no," said Olsen with a laugh.

Adding on, Ng said that while humor is a potent way to reach audiences and to possibly hit virality, a brand should not be pursing an April Fool's campaign if they have never used humous, puns or memes to communicate with their audience before. 

April Fools is great to kick off a humorous campaign but should not be a one-off content piece used as a filler.

Use this day to your advantage to garner more attention for a larger plan, such as communicating a brand strategy.

He added that it is crucial that brands ensure that their joke sits well with its audiences as with today's 'cancel culture', one needs to consider risk verses reward.

Agreeing with him, Srivastava advised brands to think about why they want to do an April Fools campaign first. "What is the purpose? Does it resonate with your target audience? Is there any relevance to your brand or product or services?" she asked. She added that brands need to ask themselves if they have a clear reason or if they are simply following the crowds.

It is important to understand your audience - how will they react to a prank led campaign? Will such a campaign align with your brand tone of voice or will it alienate your target audience?

Srivastava added that if a brand does choose to do an April Fool's campaign, they should be very careful to check that their humor is acceptable and not offensive. "It is a high-stake situation. Either it is a huge success, or it backfires really bad."

Adding on, Zeng noted that with so much content going on today, audiences move on to the next thing too easily. He added that unless brands go big on their April Fool's campaign and really makes it a campaign and not just  social media content, it likely will not make a splash since everyone else is also doing it.

"But the other question is, would you really want to go big on April Fool's considering all the other priorities your brand should focus on?" he asked. 

Related articles:
April Fool's Day roundup: Did you do a double take for these pranks?
Analysis: Volkswagen's April Fool's stunt gone awry: How brands can rein it in before losing control
Subway MY puts April Fool's twist to 'Eat Fresh' slogan by creating daily face wash