Many April Fools’ Day pranks in 2020 were cancelled due to the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. This year, however, brands jumped back on the trend to bring attention and fun to their business. Some offered pithy jokes, and others kept you guessing. Here are a few clever pranks from some major brands:
On Monday, Volkswagen announced that its name was being changed to “Voltswagen” because of their anticipated future with electric vehicles. Twenty-four hours later, after receiving many unhappy complaints, Volkswagen explained that this announcement was an early April Fools’ Day prank. Volkswagen got the last laugh on this one.
Wednesday afternoon, Bud Light introduced new seltzer flavors: pepperoni, extra cheese, veggie, and anchovy. By the following morning, Bud Light tweeted, “Scary how many of you actually wanted to try these yesterday #AprilFools.” Well played
Velveeta introduced creamy skincare products, with a promo video and new website. By combining mac and cheese with skincare, the public wasn’t too fooled by this attempt, but Velveeta played along until eventually posting an #AprilFoolsDay tweet.
CEO of Spartan, Joe Desena, announced via Instagram a new members-only card that exempts you from doing burpees at any of the company’s obstacle course races. For those unfamiliar, 30 burpees are a penalty after missing or skipping any obstacle during a Spartan race. He seems quite serious about this as he explains the perks of the program until picking up an 11-pound, body length “card” and sarcastically explains that you need to carry it around throughout the race to get out of burpees.
Swedish automaker Volvo made a different announcement on April 1 and some took it as a ruse, but were pleasantly surprised. The company’s “Family Bond” program offers 24 weeks of paid parental leave to all 40,000 of its global employees. Many applauded the move; at least one was jaded by commenting, “I hate to say this, but could it be April’s Fools Joke???” Kudos to Volvo. Your Family Bond program is no joke!
Which was your favorite #AprilFoolsDay prank this year? Check out some more pranks here.