April Fool’s Day is done and dusted but the way brands and marketers went all out to reach their target audience remains in the people’s minds. Marketers deploy humor to catch the attention. They go off-script from their regular advertising formats and campaigns to connect with consumers in a new way.
Research shows that April Fool’s campaigns are effective because brands can use humor and fun to communicate their message. Consumers pay more attention to humorous things and are more likely to remember them. April Fool’s campaigns or advertisements disrupt the normative pattern of behavior from brands, injecting an element of surprise.
Brands have gone out of their way with April Fool’s Day, such as 7-Eleven. The convenience store chain said in addition to new Lemon Lime, Green Apple, and Sweet Orange flavored 7-Select sparkling waters, there’s a fourth flavor coming on April 1 – Big Bite Hot Dog. It combines the mouthwatering experience of 7-Eleven’s iconic Big Bite Hot Dog into one refreshing beverage – ketchup and mustard included!
Another prankster campaign was Rosetta Stoned. This is a mobile app from Rosetta Stone and medical marijuana company Fluent. The app is touted to bridge the conversational gap between novice users and seasoned stoners in any social setting. And then there was the baby translator app to decode baby language. BabyQuip, an infant equipment site, said parents can say goodbye to restless nights as they can use the app to decode their baby’s cries – a convenient, must-have app!
Martin Murtagh, a strategic marketing coach, says that in a world saturated with advertisements and sales pitches, it can be challenging for businesses to stand out and capture their audiences’ attention. He believes April Fools’ Day offers an opportunity to break through the noise and engage customers uniquely. “Businesses can break down barriers between them and their customers by creating an unexpected, humorous, or surprising campaign. This can lead to increased brand awareness and higher levels of customer engagement.”
Murtagh highlighted that it all depends on the art of storytelling. “By crafting a compelling narrative, businesses can create a strong emotional connection with their audience. This can help humanize a brand, making it more relatable and appealing to potential customers. A well-executed April Fools’ Day campaign can leave a lasting impression on customers, increasing brand recall and contributing to long-term loyalty.”
Nikita Walia, CEO of Blank – a creative strategy company, told Inc. that businesses and brands can feel pressured to tap into every holiday. “What helps is having some sort of yearly cultural calendar and then choosing the most relevant moments. Like, if you’re a climate technology brand and working on space tech, it’s not your place to activate on April Fools’ Day. It’s not really your place to activate on a food-centric holiday unless there’s a climate connection.”
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