April Fools’ Day has become a core date in successful brands’ content calendars, with companies using creativity and humour to capture attention on social media. A well-executed prank can engage your audience or even go viral. However, not all April Fools’ campaigns hit the mark, and it is easy for some to backfire.

In this blog, we’ll break down why this marketing tactic can work and provide tips on how to create an effective April Fools’ Day stunt for your brand. We’ll even share a few of our favourite foolish campaigns, so let’s jump right in

A great April Fools’ marketing stunt should be engaging, and shareable without misleading or frustrating your audience.

So, how do you get it right?

• Stay on Brand: Your strategy should align with your brand’s voice, values, and industry trends.

• Make It Believable (But Not Too Real): The best campaigns make people pause and question if it’s real.

• Use Strong Visuals: Eye-catching and high-quality images or videos help sell the joke and make it more shareable. You could even follow your current social media style guide to better your online presence.

• Encourage Engagement: Craft your marketing in a way that invites conversation, reactions, and shares.

• Keep It Light-Hearted: Avoid anything controversial, offensive or even overly misleading - people should laugh, not feel tricked.

• Leverage Existing Trends: Tying into pop culture can boost your campaign’s relatability.

• Have a Follow-Up: Once the joke is revealed, use momentum to further engage your audience with a playful response.

When done right, an April Fools’ campaign can increase brand awareness and spark conversations, providing your audience with a light-hearted piece of content. Learn more in our guide to social media for UK companies.

1. MAC Cosmetics: ‘Crystal Clear’ Foundation, 2024

When it comes to beauty trends, the "no-makeup makeup" look has been a staple among influencers in the beauty world for years. In 2024, MAC Cosmetics took this trend to the extreme with their April Fools’ strategy, unveiling a brand-new foundation shade: ‘Crystal Clear.’ The product was marketed as an innovative, completely clear foundation designed to enhance customers’ natural beauty without actually adding any visible coverage.

MAC shared sleek promotional images and videos on Instagram featuring influencers flaunting the fake product. The post played into the beauty industry’s obsession with barely-there makeup and had many viewers doing a double-take.

The stunt quickly gained traction on social media, with thousands of beauty lovers engaging in the comments, debating whether Crystal Clear was genius or just MAC having some fun. The campaign was a great example of how an industry-relevant joke can spark conversation and showcase a brand’s personality, all while staying on-brand. Discover more about using the best social media platforms for businesses.

Sainsbury’s: The Big Shop, 2024

In 2024, Sainsbury’s took part in the fools’ day fun with a hilarious take on supermarket innovation: the ‘Double Decker Shopping Trolley.’

Promoted with the tagline, ‘Your big shop just got bigger,’ Sainsbury’s unveiled the concept of a two-tiered trolley, claiming it would soon be rolling into stores. The visuals showed a regular shopping trolley stacked on top of another one, sparking scepticism among shoppers.

With this stunt, Sainsbury’s successfully pulled off an April Fools’ prank that was light-hearted, relevant, and on-brand, tapping into some of our favourite social media tips for businesses. By poking fun at the shopping experience in a relatable way, they managed to engage customers while showcasing their cheeky sense of humour.

McDonald’s is no stranger to a well-done April Fools’ joke, and in 2019, they once again had their customers doing a double take with their Shake Sauces campaign.

McDonald’s presented a new line-up of dipping sauces inspired by their beloved milkshakes. With vibrant, colourful visuals of shake-flavoured sauce packets, the stunt played into the quirky eating habits of McDonald’s fans and made a joke out of their customers who already love dipping their fries into shakes.

The playful prank quickly gained attention on socials, with fans divided between amusement and wishful thinking. Some joked about which shake flavour would reign supreme as the ultimate dip, while others genuinely wished for the sauces to become a reality.

This is one of our favourite campaigns because of the relatability of the joke. McDonald’s once again proved their ability to engage customers with humour while staying true to their brand.

When it comes to creative April Fools’ pranks, Guinness knows how to provide tongue-in-cheek humour. In 2018, they took things to the next level by introducing Guinness Cologne: a bold new fragrance promising to capture ‘the great taste of Guinness, condensed into a tantalising aroma.’

The announcement came complete with sleek, high-end visuals that mimicked the style of luxury fragrance ads. The idea of a cologne infused with the rich, malty notes of Guinness had fans both intrigued and amused, and social media lit up with reactions, from beer-lovers joking that they’d actually happily wear it to others playfully questioning whether it would leave them smelling like the bottom of a pint glass.

Guinness nailed the perfect mix of satire and brand relevance, tapping into their signature flavours in a completely unexpected way. The stunt was a brilliant example of how a well-executed joke can engage audiences and spark conversation.

An oldie but a goodie: In 2016, H&M unveiled a playful April Fools' Day prank by announcing a mock collaboration with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The fictitious collection, named ‘One Less Thing to Think About in the Morning,’ humorously mirrored Zuckerberg's signature minimalist wardrobe, featuring seven identical grey t-shirts and a pair of basic blue jeans.

The prank was showcased on a dedicated website, markforhm.com, which presented the collection with meticulous detail, including custom packaging and collaboration logos, making the spoof remarkably convincing.

This clever stunt not only amused the brand’s customers but also highlighted H&M's skill in engaging marketing, as well as its ability to stay current with contemporary cultural references.

So, how can you leverage April Fools’ marketing for your brand? When crafting an April Fools’ Day campaign, it’s crucial to approach the prank with a clear digital strategy.

Here are some of our dos and don’ts to consider when planning your April Fools’ Day Campaign:

Dos:

Know Your Audience: Understanding your target demographic is crucial. Think: What resonates with your audience? A well-executed campaign should align with your audience’s humour. Use insights from past campaigns and leverage social listening to create some buyer personas and tailor your joke to your audience’s interests.

Understand Your Brand: Ensure that the prank fits within your brand's identity and values. This will help avoid any backlash or negative associations that could arise from a poorly executed joke. A successful campaign should enhance your brand image, not detract from it.

Keep It Light-Hearted: The primary goal of an April Fools’ campaign is to entertain. Make sure your prank is fun and light-hearted, allowing your audience to share a laugh with you. Avoid controversial or offensive topics that could cause upset.

Get Creative: Think outside the box. Often, the best ideas come from unfiltered creativity. Embrace innovative concepts while still aligning with your brand messaging.

Don'ts:

Go Too Niche: While niche references may resonate with a small audience, they can leave others disengaged. Ensure that your campaign is relatable and accessible so a wider audience can appreciate it. Avoid overly complicated ideas that require extensive background knowledge or additional context.

Stick to One Post: Rather than limiting your campaign to a single post, create a backstory that builds anticipation and context. Develop a narrative around your campaign that engages your audience, drawing them in and encouraging shares.

Bend Reality (Within Reason): While it’s important to create a believable premise, avoid making your joke so far-fetched that it loses credibility. The best pranks make people pause and question if they’re real, but they should still maintain a sense of plausibility.

April Fools’ Day has evolved into a powerful marketing tool that allows brands to connect with their audience in a fun way. With more and more brands adopting a light-hearted, an even sometimes unhinged, approach to their marketing, April Fools’ is the perfect time to leverage this for your brand; fun can go a long way in building customer loyalty.

A well-executed campaign can drive engagement, spark meaningful conversations, and showcase personality in ways that traditional marketing often cannot. When done right, these campaigns can be gold.

For brands willing to embrace the playful spirit of the day, the rewards are clear:

• Higher visibility
• Stronger audience engagement
• A reputation for being in tune with the cultural moment

So, whether it’s an outlandish new product launch, a satirical take on industry trends, or an unexpected collaboration, April Fools’ presents a unique opportunity to capture attention in a way that’s both strategic and entertaining, and it’s about reminding audiences why they love engaging with a brand in the first place.

At Zelst, we’re experts in digital marketing services and know how to craft attention-grabbing campaigns that get people talking. A well-executed April Fools’ stunt can boost brand visibility and engagement and even go viral when done right.

Want to make your brand the talk of the internet this April Fools’ Day? Our team can help you create a strategic, SEO-driven campaign that maximises your brand’s reach and impact. Check out our case studies to see how we’ve helped brands increase visibility, and explore our PPC, social media and content marketing services to start planning your next creative campaign.