Do you think April Fools’ Day is only for children? As evidenced by the “campaigns” launched this week, I would argue the contrary. People of all ages and brands from various industries (automotive, tech, fashion, travel, etc.) all got in on the fun this past Wednesday.
Of course, the day is on my radar because I have two young children. So as you might imagine whoopee cushions and fake blood were strategically placed in my house on the first day of April. However, I must admit when I first saw the new “fanny basket” from Target, I fell for the hoax. In fact, I even raved about it to one of my clients.
In writing this post, I was curious to find out the history of the date. I thought perhaps it was just another slice of Americana. But after a brief Wikipedia search I learned the day of foolishness and hoaxes has been around for centuries and originated in England. In fact, April Fools’ Day dates back to the 14th Century, when Chaucer included the day in his famous book “The Canterbury Tales” (one of my favorite pieces of fiction from my 14th Century Lit class).
So why do we love April Fools’ Day? For me, it comes down to laughter. I think we all love a good laugh.
The day gives us permission to push the envelope and share our inner-silliness.
Here are a few of the brands that did a nice job leveraging the day, making me chuckle in the process:
Honda HR-V Selfie Edition – Honda gets that the selfie phenomenon is still alive and well in our self-obsessed culture. This spot includes an existing car model but renames it the “Selfie Edition.” The women in the spot comments, “Honda gets me.” And I think Honda gets its target customers, many of whom would love 10 different selfie cameras strategically placed in their car’s interior and exterior. Forget self-driving cars; this selfie car made the headlines this week.
Target – fanny basket – While a joke, the ergonomics and utility of this fanny basket make total sense. I love how the effort focused on innovation and put Target in a class by itself. The strategy aligned nicely with the company’s brand promise and made us laugh at our latte-juggling, cell-phone-coveting selves.
Google Maps game of Pac Man – Google brought us back to the 80s with their hoax. For those of us who grew up on Atari, having this app on our phone, if only for a day, brought back fond memories of playing the goblin-chomping game. All Google Maps for the day were turned into a game of Pac Man. This isn’t the first time Google Maps hacked its own app to mix with video games. Last year, they did something similar with Pokemon.
Virgin America is moving to Branson, Missouri – Richard Branson, chief executive officer of Virgin, has a personality. Anyone who follows his musings on LinkedIn already knows this. But those less familiar with Branson may have fallen for the company’s “news.” The charm comes through in the video and matches Branson’s approachable demeanor. The setup makes you wonder, “why wouldn’t Branson pick up his company and relocate to the Midwest?”
What I love about all of these campaigns is they demonstrate the need to understand and reinforce brand personality. We often take our clients through a tone and voice exercise to help us develop brand aspirations and identify brand personalities that can be applied to content development. For example, we ask what characteristics define and differentiate our clients’ brands. We also ask clients to assign personality traits to their brand. Are you funny, serious, nerdy, approachable or down to earth? Target’s innovative brand characteristic came through in the fanny basket spot and all the subsequent media coverage. The Honda video makes it clear that the family-friendly carmaker has a fun-loving personality.
April Fools’ may still be a day coveted by children around the world, but it’s also a day when we get to see the softer and sillier side of brands.
What is your favorite brand April Fools’ Day hoax?