15 Awesome April Fool’s Day Pranks From Brands
With each passing year, April Fool’s Day presents a challenge and opportunity for companies. While April Fools may not be for every company out there, there are some companies who surprise and delight us each year. Inspired by some of my favorite pranks of all time, here are 15 examples of companies that almost tricked us—in a good way— in the past on April Fool’s Day.
1. ASOS Fans Can Now Get Married on Its Legendary Catwalk, Models Included
ASOS’ catwalk is about to star in more than just fashion shoots—it’s now available as a glamorous backdrop for weddings. Announced on April 1, the ASOS wedding package includes clothing (of course), dapper male models as ushers, flowers, photos, and even the company’s delivery van (limos are so last year). Dare we say, wedded bliss is but a click – and a catwalk – away?
2. Google Announces The Newest Addition to Search: Google Nose
What’s that smell? According to Google, “smelling is believing,” which is why they were excited to introduce Google Nose, the newest scentsation in search, on April 1st. Positioned as an “internet sommelier,” Google Nose uses expertly curated Knowledge Graphs to pair images, descriptions, and aromas. Talk about a fragrant – and potentially pungent experience, depending on what you’re sniffing! File this one under, another innovation that would actually generate a huge business for Google! You must watch the video, it’s hilarious. The copywriter in me also loves the product page – whoever wrote this certainly has a nose for puns.
3. Airbnb Allows Workers To Earn Extra Cash By Renting Out Their Desks
What if you could spend a day or an hour working from different offices? This Airbnb April Fool’s prank is an example of something that actually seems viable. Well, in a pre-COVID world! Called AirBRB versus Airbnb, the premise is that employees could rent their desks out for their lunch break or for an afternoon. While the video itself is cheesy and funny, all I could think of while watching it is that this could have legs (er, bad pun for desk legs?).
4. JetBlue Proves That April is No Fool
While there are many good brand April Fool’s jokes, JetBlue stood out in year’s past for its unique and rewarding approach to the holiday. Proclaiming that, “April’s No Fool,” JetBlue gave back to those most impacted by the day – people named April. Keep in mind that this was pre-pandemic, but JetBlue offered people with the first name April who were flying the airline on April 1 a JetBlue credit equal to the value of their flight. JetBlue communicated its surprise offer in a simple, yet eye-catching status update and linked back to the company’s BlueTales blog for more information.
Bonus: the brand also rocked the community management on this offer post. In response to one fan who said, “April O’Neill from TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) where are u at,” JetBlue responded, “April’s allowed, but the heroes in a half shell are out of luck even if they want to pay. We don’t accept reptiles on board.”
5. Whole Foods Market Plays Matchmaker With In-Store Dating App
Having a hard time meeting that special someone? If Whole Foods Market has anything to do with it, single shoppers can now pick up more than just grocery items. On a past April 1, the company launched a new app called “Main Squeeze” to help their customers find love—#WholeFoodsAndChill optional. This idea was great an on-brand, as people who shop at Whole Foods tend to care about the quality of their food or have special dietary needs. While the company didn’t go into such detail, allowing vegans to match or suggesting great date night recipes makes this seem like another viable “prank!”
6. Sephora Hacks Your AM Make – Up Routine – Lazy Girl Style
File this one under: my dream time-saving hack! Is your morning make-up routine taking unnecessary time away from more important pursuits, like sleep? Sephora’s got a solution for you, conveniently launched on April 1st. Called the “SEPHORA COLLECTION Sheet Hack,” it’s described by the company as “the ultimate in lazy girl beauty.” As described in a post on the company’s Instagram account, a simple four-step process is required, but it will only take about 10 minutes. However, the company cautions that in the testing phase, “85% reported their dogs trying to eat it.” Nobody said a flawless face in 10 minutes was without a few potential bumps in the road. Busy girls everywhere would rejoice if this slightly scary, yet effective make-up mask could become a reality.
7. Lululemon and Pledge Join Forces To Launch a $1,200 ‘Spray-On’ Yoga Pant
File this one under…wait, what!? Sometimes the best brand April Fool’s jokes do not come from the brand at all, but late night comedians. On his show, Kimmel aired a spoof commercial on Thursday, March 27th that promoted “Lululemon Pledge,” mocking the fact that some schools banned yoga pants for being too tight and also referencing the issue of Lululemon yoga pants being see-through. A voice-over for the ad says: “Lululemon Pledge: because the best pants are no pants at all.”
In response to the late night skit, Lululemon introduced its own version of the product on its website on April Fool’s Day – listing the price as $1,200. Why that price? This was also a nod to Kimmel’s joke about the yoga pants being so tight it makes your brain be ok with spending a lot of money on them. This doesn’t appear to be brand sponsored, but as someone who has worked for a big brand that has been featured in late night skits, the brand is typically given a heads up. The show needs permissions to use brand trademarks, but the brand typically wouldn’t have creative control over the final spot.
Regardless, if the whole late night thing doesn’t work out, Jimmy Kimmel and his team clearly have a career in advertising!
8. OpenTable App Introduces Lickable Photos to Taste Restaurants Prior to Booking
Trying out new restaurants can be a gamble—until OpenTable’s app cracked the code on 4D technology to bring its users a taste of its many restaurant listings via lickable photos. Announced on a past April 1, OpenTable notes that its “lickscreen technology” is equivalent to fingerprint technology.
On the company’s website, OpenTable noted that “our Taste technology recognizes the unique taste bud patterns on your tongue to recreate the flavor profiles in your brain.” They warn users, “With excessive use, OpenTable Taste may desensitize taste buds and make you feel full though still hungry. Exercise caution as over-licking is similar to over-eating.”
Apparently, licking other photo types such as interior, exterior, restaurant staff, or guests is also not advised.
9. Tesco Takes the Grocery Shopping Experience to New Heights
Ever had trouble reaching the items on the top shelf in a grocery store? If Tesco’s April Fools’ Day prank has anything to do with it, those troubles could become a thing of the past. The UK-based grocery store announced the arrival of “Bouncy Aisles,” on April 1st. The appropriately named “Bouncy Aisles” describe a trampoline embedded in the shop floor, allowing customers to jump up and grab hard-to-reach items. Described on the company’s blog as “a leap forward in revolutionising the shopping experience,” the company is also looking for “beta-bouncers” to test the aisles. According to Daisy O’Farllop, Director of Aisle Operations at Tesco, “Introducing bouncy aisles is both a practical and fun solution to help our customers reach products on the top shelves, as well as speed up their shopping trip.”
Um, sounds both fun and like an accident waiting to happen. Count me in!
10. SunLife Introduces Beard Insurance
We’ve all heard about celebrities and athletes that insure their body parts, from Miley Cyrus’s tongue for $1 million to Bruce Springsteen’s voice for $6 million or even a whopping $21 million for Kim Kardashian’s bum (full article here, there’s more). But, what about insuring your beard? Never say never, which is why SunLife’s April Fool’s prank went down so well. Launched with a humorous video, the campaign generated 800K social reach and 20K visits to the beard insurance microsite, with visitors spending nearly four minutes on the site. For a business that was looking to grow awareness and consideration with younger customers, this was deemed as a big win. To read up on all of the campaign metrics, visit the case study here.
11. Giphy Revolutionizes “GIF Giving” With The GIFt Delivery Service
What if you could package up your favorite GIFs and mail them to your friends? Lucky for you, Giphy announced on April Fools Day that they were going to turn this concept into a “reality.” Launched with a dedicated Tumblr page and a hilarious video that plays on retro infomercials, the service is easy. Simply send your favorite animated GIF, and the Giphy team will box it and send it to you or a special friend IRL (in real life). Especially for those in search of the perfect gift that will surprise and delight someone, Giphy could really be onto something!
12. McDonald’s Launches Hipster Happy Meal Subscription Service
What is it about April Fool’s Day that inspires brands to poke fun at hipsters? On April 1st, McDonald’s announced the MmmBox, a monthly subscription service that matches its customers with “non-mainstream taste buds” with their favorite menu items according to their lifestyle. Akin to a hipster Happy Meal, McDonald’s has three MmmBox offerings, including The Artisan, The Ribster, and The Minimalist. For example, The Ribster includes The McRib, a moustache comb for “combing out those pesky crumbs,” a plaid napkin, and a little bit of irony.
While this was launched pre-pandemic, given the popularity of limited edition collabs and merchandise, plus the rise in subscription boxes, this idea may still have Mmmlegs!
13. Flo from Progressive Nabs a Reality TV Show
April 1 was a big day for Flo from Progressive, who took to Facebook and Twitter to announce that her family landed a reality TV show. Rumored to be called Flo’s Family: Behind the Glitter, each family member looks mysteriously like Flo.
On the Progressive blog, the company hinted, “The new show will truly help all of Flo’s fans understand her background and how she grew into the insurance-loving brand lady that we all know and love.”
Cleverly, Progressive is also using April Fools as an opportunity to launch NameYourPrank.com, which somehow…they let that domain go since, which seems like a miss. The site offered a way for its customer to prank their friends by creating a personalized fake news story “that’s too good not to be true.”
14. ASOS Introduces Clip-On Man Buns—For Hair!
Yes, there are two ASOS pranks in this roundup. This one made me laugh far too much not to include it! Inspired by the likes of Jared Leto, Zayn Malik, and Shia LaBeouf, well-coiffed male trendsetters will rejoice with the April 1st launch of ASOS clip-on “Man Buns.” Not to be confused with other parts of the male anatomy, ASOS describes their new man buns an easy way to “get the look without the hassle or maintenance of growing long hair. Just add a bobby pin.” The company also notes that it is a “universally acknowledged fact that men with buns are not only more attractive but also more successful.” Maybe they’re onto something?
15. Netflix and John Stamos Partner for a Documentary Unlike Any Other
Flo was not the only famous face to nab a new TV show. On April 1, Netflix and John Stamos decided announce plans for John Stamos: A Human, Being to debut on Netflix on April 31. Described as a “new original documentary unlike any other,” John Stamos will play the role of a lifetime—himself.
But it didn’t stop there. As users started to cry “April Fools,” Netflix continued the fun by releasing a video statement from Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. Could there be something to this documentary after all?
Final Thoughts
This is a collection of campaigns that made me laugh over the years, but I would love to keep growing it! Please leave a comment below with your favorite brand April Fool’s pranks of all time. Let’s keep the laughs and innovative ideas coming to inspire the next wave of April Fool’s jokes!
Jessica Gioglio is the co-author of The Laws of Brand Storytelling and The Power of Visual Storytelling. Professionally, Jessica has led innovative marketing and public relations programs for Dunkin’ Donuts, TripAdvisor, Sprinklr, and more. Today, Jessica is a leading keynote speaker and founder of With Savvy Media & Marketing, a strategic marketing and storytelling consultancy.