In April, there are plenty of things to look forward to. With the start of spring, Taurus season, and Earth Day approaching, there’s one day that seems to slip everyone’s mind, until Nair announces a new reversal cream with synthetic hairs or Pop-Tarts and Red Lobster advertise a new collab: April Fool’s Day. While sometimes a day full of disappointed consumers, April Fool’s can serve as a great advertising tool for brands everywhere. For those of you who aren’t on social media to get fooled this year, here’s a recap of everything you’ve missed.
- Wedding Cake Poppi
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On Instagram, Poppi announced its new Wedding Cake flavor, available only online on April 2. The only way consumers were able to get their hands on this romantic flavor was by purchasing the “Poppi Proposal Kit,” which also featured a custom ring holder. Despite announcing that this new soda would be available for purchase, creators posted no taste tests or reviews on any platforms and made no mention of the flavor on their website. Despite the thousands of comments from users expressing excitement about the newest flavor, it seems the limited-time sale of the “Poppi Proposal Kit” was also meant as a joke. This is one example of when a brand’s April Fool’s joke could lead to disappointment and confusion from consumers if not explicitly advertised as a joke.
@drinkpoppi via Instagram - Love Story: Buckingham Nicks
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After the smashing success of Love Story, focusing on the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, American Horror Story announced a second season of the hit series, except this time around, the season would tell the labyrinthine love story between Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. The announcement came with a star-studded cast list including Dominic Sessa, Alex Wolff, and Lucy Boynton, alongside Connor Storrie as Lindsay Buckingham and Billy Lourd as Stevie Nicks.
The love affair between the two garnered even more interest in pop culture in recent years when a live performance of the band’s “Silver Springs” introduced the hauntingly beautiful song to a brand new audience of young music lovers. After the immediate freak-out from fans, there was an outcry of disappointment when they realized small print at the bottom of the frame in the last few seconds of the video reading “Happy April Fool’s Day!” Even though this announcement was supposed to be a joke, after the extreme reaction from fans and uproar of interest, who’s to say this love story won’t soon get a screen adaptation?
@americanhorrorstory via Instagram - Nair Reverse Cream
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A more lighthearted brand fake-out this year came from Nair. Famous for their hair removal cream, Nair posted a cheeky announcement for Nair Reverse Cream, designed to restore hair for removals gone wrong. The brand even went a step further by making the fictional product “Prickly Pear” scented and said it would make users “go from smooth to stubble in no time!” This post was a clever twist that highlighted just how well their hair removal cream works. With the classic prank of switching out shampoo with Nair, this was a fun jab at the old sneaky trick.
@naircare via Instagram - Grillo’s Pickles X Liquid IV
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Of course, another way for brands to gain traction on April Fool’s is to make fun by partnering with other companies to talk about products that bring in audiences from both companies. Whether it’s Pop-Tarts and Red Lobster creating a new Cheddar Bay Biscuit flavor, or Olipop and Goodwipes creating flushable Peaches & Cream scented wipes for “your gut and butt,” collabs are a spectacular way for brands to get people talking about their products.
@liquidiv via Instagram This year, there was a noticeable uptick in not only brand collabs but also, oddly enough, pickle-themed April Fool’s campaigns. Liquid I.V. and Grillo’s Pickles took this April 1 seriously as they announced their new limited edition pickle-flavored drink mix, made with pickle lovers in mind. After taking advantage of the positive buzz from the announcement, the duo sold out of the flavor and has yet to restock.
- Crumbl Everything Bagel
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This April Fool’s Day, some brands, like Crumbl, have announced that they would actually be selling their newest puckish product, but only for a limited time. Crumbl shared that on April 1, they would be selling an Almost Everything Bagel Sandwich Cookie for one day only. The sandwich cookies were described as “two buttery cookies, everything bagel seasoning, and a cream cheese filling. Pretty soon after the announcement, videos of influencers trying the new cookie started popping up. While the reviews weren’t all glowing, this just goes to show that April Fool’s Day can serve as a valuable opportunity for brands to try out new products under the guise of a simple prank.
@crumbl via Instagram
April Fool’s Day continues to be a brilliant showcase of brands’ creativity and the talent of amazing marketing teams. Clever and surprising campaigns serve as a great reminder that appealing to an audience’s humor, while sometimes risky, can yield huge payoffs. It may be for the best that some of these products were pranks, but these companies, without a doubt, still got plenty of attention this April Fool’s Day. Next year, we can surely anticipate even more unexpected product launches and collabs from everyone’s favorite brands, so remember to mark your calendars and keep your eyes peeled.