April Fools Day. A day where social media is flooded with stunts from corporations leveraging the infamous holiday as a marketing ploy.
But is it effective?
Executed well an April Fools joke is a chance to connect with audiences, increase awareness, engage customers and ideally, create a viral moment.
However, what may seem like just a funny social media post can have some very real consequences, including:
- Damage to your reputation
- Unnecessary confusion around your brand and products
- Backlash and abuse directed at customer-facing staff, especially for promotion-based April Fools
So, who got it right this year and who got it wrong?
Right: Queensland Police
Already known for its humour on social media, Queensland Police used April Fools to promote kindness on the roads.
The video posted across social media shared that from April 1, the ‘courtesy wave’ would be mandatory.
The video even featured drivers being pulled over and reprimanded by uniformed officers.
View this post on Instagram
Senior Constable Krystle Muller said, “While we won’t actually be enforcing the ‘courtesy wave’, our intention of promoting kinder practices between road users is genuine,”.
The stunt was well-timed as the Queensland Police continue to encourage safer and kinder driving in the lead up to the Easter school holidays after last year saw a devastating record of the highest number of lives lost on the state’s roads since 2009.
Overall, the stunt sparked a much-needed conversation about mutual respect between drivers.
Right: Jatz
Iconic cracker brand, Jatz joined the fun introducing a new product, a Jatz cracker dipped in Arnott’s chocolate.
The announcement was welcomed by customers, with the comment section filled with customers begging the brand to make the product a reality.
View this post on Instagram
What took this stunt to the next level was the giveaway Jatz posted shortly after.
View this post on Instagram
Jatz had a small number of Jatz Chocolate manufactured and encouraged customers to enter a giveaway on social media, creating even more conversation, awareness and engagement!
Mixed: Lipton Iced Tea
In mid-March, Lipton Iced Tea drinkers were sent into a frenzy when the brand announced its Peach flavour would be discontinued.
View this post on Instagram
As its most popular flavour, many were confused by the news. Some reacted by flocking to stores to stock up while others expressed their annoyance on social media.
A few hours later, Lipton Iced Tea shared that the peach flavour wasn’t going anywhere, posting “Oops, is it still March? Got my dates mixed up…thought it was April Fools already!”
View this post on Instagram
However, the comment section was filled with confusion and anger, with others labelling it as a “terrible publicity stunt” and “most unfunny thing ever”, with one commenter even saying the brand owed them compensation after they stocked up.
While the stunt has created some distrust amongst their community, it increased sales, earned global media coverage, and created a buzz on social media with customers talking about their beloved peach Lipton iced tea.
Wrong: Cr Ryan Murphy
Cr Ryan Murphy, the Councillor for the Chandler Ward took to social media yesterday to share three April Fools jokes.
The first, that the Brisbane City Council would be launching a new Blue Vape Bin, to be collected fortnightly.
View this post on Instagram
The second, introducing ‘IttyBittyCats’, jet skis as transport across Brisbane’s inner city.
View this post on Instagram
The third, introducing transparent red bins.
View this post on Instagram
All three posts were met with backlash with comments left including, “Maybe spend as much effort on your yearly joke on helping your community you’re elected to help” and “your team have too much time on their hands if they can come up with this much material”.
Under the vape bin post, commenters were calling on the council to address the safe disposal of vapes and under the ‘IttyBittyCats’ post many commenters believed the announcement to be true.
While the posts are jokes, they are designed to look real and remain on Cr Murphy’s social media feed, surrounded by very real announcements.
While the posts are humorous, we think it’s best to avoid April Fools, especially multiple stunts, as Cr Murphy’s social media is primarily used for sharing factual announcements and building trust within the community.