The Revival of April Fools’

Admit it. You got fooled this year.

If you didn’t, kudos to you for not being addicted to social media.

A few years ago, we claimed that the heyday of April Fools’ product announcements and partnerships was long gone.

The joke was on us, because April Fools’ is back and crazier than ever.

Brands went all out, and not on their own. The most talked about pranks this year were partnerships between brands that you wouldn’t normally put together.

Dr. Pepper flavored TicTacs. Hidden Valley Ranch flavored Olipop soda. Pickled Furbys from Grillo’s Pickles. A five-year Duolingo x Carnival cruise. A Denny’s x Mattress Firm bread and breakfast experience.

Fool Me Once …

Social media provides an avenue for brands to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. April Fools’ Day is an easy lift (or not if you’re like Apple and make a whole film to go along with your joke) for brands to spark conversation and engage with consumers.

While solo pranks are also an option (Kikkoman perfume, anyone?), the partnership aspect allows brands to get their message to an even wider audience and reach consumers in a market outside of their own. On the flipside, partnering with a brand whose audience shares similar interests – like how Poppi and Tower 28 did – can make consumers even more excited by seeing their favorite brands collaborating.

Not every brand can pull off an April Fools’ prank – especially in the B2B space. But several brands could be found in the comments of these prank collabs, along with the pranksters themselves. This type of engagement helps foster community building with brand advocates, customers and key audiences.

You don’t have to spin up a new campaign or partner with Taco Bell, but even B2B brands can get in on fun and participate in trending topics by commenting or referencing the trend in a post that’s more suited to your brand – like an industry pun perhaps!