15 April Fool’s Day Marketing Ideas From Top Brands

Social media is flooded with jokes, memes, and hoaxes on April Fool’s Day. Several entrepreneurs and businesses join in the fun by devising new April Fool’s marketing ideas to tickle everyone’s funny bone. Holidays are an excellent opportunity to experiment with non-traditional advertising. Without a doubt, the marketing surrounding April Fool’s Day boosts revenues and broadens the audience base.

Furthermore, it provides marketers with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to broaden their audience reach, increase engagement, and launch viral campaigns.

What are your plans for getting your audience into this spirit? Make your clients laugh with practical jokes based on the greatest April Fool marketing ideas you can come up with. Here are some April Fool’s Day campaigns devised by well-known brands over the years.

15 April Fool’s Day Campaigns to Seek Inspiration From 

People like colorful and humorous content, but combining it with a surprising element leaves a lasting impression. As a result, such information is shared beyond the intended audience, receives more attention, and has a higher chance of going viral. Take a look at how big brands use April Fool’s sales ideas to their advantage.

1. Mark Zuckerberg x H&M 

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One April Fool’s Day, H&M’s geniuses decided to produce a Mark Zuckerberg capsule collection, and they went all out. They designed a website and a captivating backstory. The on-brand marketing for the launch uncannily sounded like the typical design partnerships that generate a buzz. The parody collection was inspired by Mark Zuckerberg’s basic wardrobe comprising T-shirts and jeans.

2. Google Screen Cleaner

Google created a cleaner that cleaned the phone “from the inside out.” This means the app could help you get rid of all the physical dirt through advanced technology. You had to open the Files app, and the “smudge detector” did the rest. 

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Furthermore, a non-stick coating might be placed on the phone, giving it the appearance of a brand-new phone with a pineapple odor. It is a great April Fool’s promotion idea, as the video is so well-produced that one may be persuaded.

3. Burger King Whopper Toothpaste

Burger King often leverages April Fool’s Day to engage its audience, especially the youth. The fast-food restaurant turned its classic Whopper into a toothpaste, complete with a funny ad, making it a good April Fool’s promotion idea. According to a business news release, Burger King and agency Buzzman had developed the first toothpaste containing active Whopper extracts.

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The brand also went on to say that the Whopper Toothpaste will be available at restaurants and pharmacies. According to a press statement, the active substances in the toothpaste also promoted gum health. The chain claimed that eating a Whopper and brushing your teeth simultaneously would never be an issue.

4. Honda’s Polite Horn 

Canada is known to be a nation that is intolerant of unnecessary honking. So when Honda Canada came up with the Polite Horn campaign, it was hard not to believe it. The vehicle-maker announced a revolutionary new technique to bring “decorum to the roadways.” The idea was to replace the loud honking with a polite human voice. 

5. PayPal’s printable money

PayPal’s prank from 2018 is still a great example of an April Fool promotion idea. According to this campaign, users could print money directly from their phones. This functionality was supposed to be included in PayPal’s app.

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Wouldn’t it be beneficial if something like this actually existed? However, despite our new cellphones’ amazing performance, this function will not be achievable with the present technology. 

6. McDonald’s Milkshake Sauce Pots 

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McDonald’s announced that four traditional milkshake flavors would be available as side dishes when customers order fries. Given that a huge cross-section of people loves pairing their fries with shakes, customers grew captivated with the notion that the sauce pots were real.

7. Mumbai Police’s “The pandemic is over”

Mumbai Police took the initiative to exploit the day uniquely.

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This tweet by Mumbai Police was applauded by netizens across all domains. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the former decided to urge people to stay at home in a unique and funny way. A white plate is attached to the post with minute text, “The pandemic is over.”  “Thinks that fool roaming without a mask!” said Mumbai Police in their caption. 

8. Flipkart’s Bitcoin announcement

Flipkart’s version of April Fool’s Day was to accept Bitcoin to please consumers on its online shopping platform. Through this campaign, Flipkart not only leveraged April Fool’s Day to connect with millions, if not billions, of followers, but it also made many aware of Bitcoin. They disclosed the joke barely three hours later. 

9. Ola AirPro

Last year, brands came up with some innovative, near-believable April Fool’s promotion ideas. One such name is Ola. 

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Ola AirPro was an electric flying vehicle, which people could operate without a license. To make it sound real, they even created a website that accepted reservations for test flights. The website was complete with all the key specifications, paired with a video featuring co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal. Many people were undecided about whether this was a fake.

10. Urban Company’s #AlarmAtHome service 

Have you ever snoozed your alarm to sleep for some extra minutes and ended up missing a meeting? Urban Company capitalized on this very plight and came up with an ingenious campaign. With its #AlarmAtHome service, you’d be personally woken up by someone from the company’s team. This service could have been beneficial for many, especially disorganized bachelors. It’s a shame it was only a joke. 

11. Keventers’ Bhang-Flavored Milkshake 

Keventers created a limited-edition range of a bhang-flavored milkshake, just in time for Holi. Given bhang is a Holi staple in India, the announcement got everyone excited. However, in another cleverly done post on April 1, the company revealed it was just a prank. 

A bhang-flavored milkshake is strange, but not impossible, which makes it a great discussion starter. It also assured the audience that the prank wasn’t just a random idea, but something pertinent to the situation.

More people were drawn to the milkshake as a result of the marketing, and the social media buzz was unparalleled. Furthermore, it allowed the company to communicate with people, reminding them that Keventers is a brand with personality, a sense of humor, and a willingness to try new things.

12. MTV India’s “The Joke Is On Us”

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MTV claims that “Mazak Ban Gayi Zindagi” results from our society’s unrealistic expectations. While we continue to laugh heartily at many jokes and memes concerning April Fool’s Day, we forget how we carry society’s expectations right from birth, through to old age. It’s a unique April Fool’s marketing idea and one that has stayed in the minds of the audience.

13. Kingfisher Instant Beer 

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With the announcement of their instant beer mix, it took no time for Kingfisher to start trending online. According to the campaign, you could make refreshing beer by simply adding water to the mix, thanks to its proprietary freeze-drying process. That meant no more long walks home with heavy beer bags and no more fighting for fridge space for beer bottles before a party!

The campaign evoked a lot of excitement among beer-lovers. Everyone hoped the goods would be released quickly, if not immediately. They even had a registration link in their Instagram bio, which made it look all the more real. 

14. Zomato’s FoodieBae

There are plenty of good April Fool’s Day marketing ideas and pranks on the theme of love and dating. When Zomato revealed that it was adding a dating vertical to its business via social media, singles worldwide were ecstatic.

According to the post’s description, the app was an invite-only feature and gave early access to the first 10,000 to be tagged in the comments. A video explained how Zomato would match people based on location, food preferences, and average spending on the app. 

15. Yatra MasterKeyCard

Yatra.com surprised all its clients with a highly innovative prank. It published a video announcing the debut of its new product, the Yatra MasterKeyCard. It was a key card that could be used to access a room registered in advance at any hotel.

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With a unique atmosphere, the video recounts the story of a man who is frustrated and angry at not being able to acquire the perfect hotel room. The Yatra MasterKeyCard is then shown to be the ideal answer to the problem. As a result, he will always have access to the best accommodation with customized services.

The good news was that consumers were offered a 50% discount (for real) at the end of the prank. And we’re all for the tagline, “The joke’s on you. The room’s on us.” 

Key Takeaways 

• Not only do friends and coworkers make jokes about each other on April 1, but so do major corporations.
• The holidays are an excellent time to try out non-traditional advertising methods. Without a doubt, great April Fool’s marketing ideas raise engagement for brands. 
• Good April Fool’s promotion ideas will assist you in reaching out to your target audience, expressing your goals and values, and being creative. 

April Fool’s Day is one of the few times companies may joke with their customers, whether a simple prank or a full-fledged marketing campaign. While April Fool’s marketing ideas are meant to be lighthearted and amusing, a successful campaign will enhance interaction and audience reach and gives users some incentive to consume the content. After all, it wouldn’t be as funny if you didn’t get all the perks from April Fool’s Day!

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