Fools Gold

April Fools marketing pranks have become increasingly common over the years (perhaps too common!). Still, it’s not surprising. When done well, these stunts can spread quickly online and can deliver considerable PR without breaking the bank. Let’s dive into some of the more memorable examples from the past decade.

In 2014, Marmite and Vaseline pranked customers with a fake Marmite flavoured lip balm. This prank aligned perfectly with Marmite’s “love it or hate it” brand image and captured plenty of media attention. Unfortunately, it’s since spawned countless Marmite/Vegemite copycat pranks – from Marmite Ice Cream to Vegemite Dare Milk, a Vegemite Energy Drink and Vegemite Toothpaste – it’s now time to give this prank a rest.

The best marketing pranks are like secret sauces – unique and specific to the brand. Take McDonald’s for instance. Recognising that many customers secretly love dipping their fries into a McDonald’s milkshake, the brand cheekily announced it was offering four classic milkshake flavours in sauce pots for anyone purchasing fries. Sadly, it was too good to be true.

Speaking of products that we wish were real, Lego pranked the world in 2021 by announcing Lego SmartBricks, which promised technology that could ensure you never step on a Lego again. Perhaps the only thing more painful than stepping on a Lego, is finding out this technology was just a joke. (However, it proved so believable there’s even a Snopes page dedicated to debunking it!)

One of our favourite April Fools’ jokes wasn’t a joke at all. In 2015, BMW ran an ad with the headline “April Fools Day Special” promising a brand new BMW to the first person who showed up at the showroom with their own car and the ad in hand. While many dismissed it as a prank, one daring woman decided to risk looking foolish – and drove home with a new BMW (with the number plate “NOF00L”).

Finally, it’s important to note that even the best-laid plans can go awry. Google, famous for its playful approach (who doesn’t love Google doodles?), seemed like a natural fit for an April Fools’ stunt. But in 2016, things went south. Google introduced a “Mic Drop” button in Gmail, which allowed users to insert a GIF of a minion dropping a microphone. However, it led to backlash as some users accidentally sent important emails with the GIF, resulting in more headaches than belly laughs.

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