April Fools’ Day knows no age. From kids to adults and even brands, everyone enjoys a little joke as an excuse to break into laughter.

Marketers also know that they can use such a special day to connect with their consumers and use the occasion as a brand reminder. Many brands come up with creative ideas to plan their pranks for April Fool’s Day, some of which even you may have fallen for.

Let’s look at some the best April Fools’ Day campaigns that bowled us over in the past few years!

Source: time.com

Google Play for Pets

Google takes its pranks quite seriously. From announcing the end of YouTube to launching Google nose wearables, the company always manages to get its users to the edge of their seats on the first day of April.

Cashing on the fact that the internet is hopelessly in love with cats and dogs, Google launched Google Play for Pets last year. An app meant for your pets to play games and become tech-savvy.

The prank gave a light of hope to pet lovers, but only to find out that it was a joke. Or maybe it was a sneak peek into one of Google’s future projects. Only time will tell.

The search engine giant not only created a segment for pet apps, it also temporarily updated its search feature. Searching “Feeling Woof” showed results like bones and balls, whereas “Feeling Meow” gave results like milk saucers, wool and anything cats can lay their paws on.

Want to work for a company as innovative as Google? Then why not upskill yourself with online distance courses offered by Sikkim Manipal Distance University?

Lay’s India packets with fingerprint sensors

Turns out, you can’t even trust your favourite brands on April Fools’. And Lay’s with its prankster personality tops the list of suspects. Spinning on the idea that when a packet of chips is opened, uninvited hands from every direction come for their share, the brand came up with an idea of having a No Share Pack.

The exclusively created packet required a fingerprint scan to open the bag. Many wished it was true, but it was just a prank that made several people rub their fingers on the packet for a successful scan.

Distance education programs are an ideal upskilling option for professionals committed to a full-time career. Staying up to date with the current trends is an essential skill in every domain.

Sknickers by Snickers

Snickers announced the launch of “Sknickers” – a new line of men’s underwear as a part of an April Fools’ Day campaign, which was also in support of Male Cancer Awareness Week. Snickers donated £1 to Orchid Cancer Foundation for every Sknickers post shared on social media during the week-long campaign. The campaign earned our vote for attaching a purpose to a day dedicated to fools.

Source – facebook.com/McDonaldsIndia

McDonald’s – Free supplies of French fries

McDonald’s India came up with a witty campaign for April Fools ‘Day. The brand made a social media announcement about offering a free supply of fries for an entire year. The mouth-watering trick was too hard to miss. The post visitors were asked to spot a hidden code in the image. To their surprise, the code read, ‘Happy April Fools’ Day’.

MBA syllabus for distance learning students covers many interesting case studies that are derived from real marketing campaigns like the one above. Have you ever tried creating a mock ad campaign for a brand you like? It can be a good learning experience.

Source: Twitter

Uber Eats India

Uber Eats – the food delivery app from Uber announced the launch of its ‘Anti-aging ice-cream’. The video announcing the launch stated that the ice-cream also worked on eight signs of aging. Giving a logic to people with a sweet tooth to go on an eating spree, the ice cream’s secret ingredient was nothing, but a prank!

Confusing, chaotic or crafty

Brands across the globe celebrate this prankster’s holiday with crafty campaigns, fake websites, and videos of witty product announcements. If these humorous campaigns inspired you, why not sign up for a marketing distance education course in Mumbai or a correspondence course in Bangalore and maybe in a few years you could be the mastermind behind one of these tricks?