![]() After enough confusion, the company’s share price dropped and Volkswagen was left offering apologies and explanations that showed its leaders in an unimpressive light. The release contained a public declaration of the, “company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility” by changing its name in the US to ‘Voltswagen’ – the reference here being to volts (as in electricity) – while its gas vehicles would still be known by the company’s original name. What started out as a lukewarm joke turned into a hot mess for German Automotive giant Volkswag en this year when a ‘prank’ press release timed for April Fools’ was accidently leaked early and later deleted. Talk about staying on brand – nobody ‘does it’ quite like Durex! The Bad: Volkswagen’s electric renaming was no gas ![]() Plus, cheekily launching the campaign early added to the discussion and buzz, resulting in netizens joking about how Durex’s April Fools’ campaign ‘came too early’ this year. While this isn’t the first time Durex has toyed with ‘unconventional’ product flavours as an April Fools’ joke, this year’s collaboration saw audiences ‘rewarded’ for their engagement. The brand later revealed that while the condoms were a hoax, the flavours were real and part of their collaboration with local ice-cream brand Udders, with the latter giving away free ice creams for those who followed both Durex’s and Udders’ Instagram pages. On March 25, Durex’s Facebook Post announcing a preview of three new flavoured condoms– Mao Shan Wang, Singapore Chendol and Botak Coconut Sherbet – was an instant hit among users, generating over 2.9K shares and 1.9K comments to date. This year, Durex’s April Fools’ campaign for Singapore was deceptively simple – but layered in delightful, buzz-worthy ways that generated significant results. The Good: April fools ‘comes early’ for Durex in Singaporeĭurex has consistently nailed the audience engagement game, from mastering the double entendre to sex-ed for the masses and subtly campaigning for women’s rights. To illustrate our point, here are some examples of April Fools’ day pranks by brands in 2021 that reaped good, bad, ugly and even nondescript outcomes in the aftermath of this ‘harmless’ red letter day. ![]() But we’re also firm believers in results and the truth is, like most bandwagons, April Fools’ marketing is not necessarily something that gives back to brands as much as they put in. We’re big proponents of news jacking opportunities, and have seen significant success with helping our own clients contribute meaningfully to topical public discourse. But not all jokes are made equal and while some brands have managed to successfully leverage this day to generate buzz and even cash in on tangible results (think Tesla’s Teslaquila), others ended up in the more ‘tragi-comic’ area with questionable consequences. Do April Fools’ pranks really work for brands?Īpril Fools’ – the comic equivalent of The Purge – has come a long way in the world of marketing to become a legitimate opportunity for brands to gain voice and visibility. ![]()
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