Joke advertisements on April Fools are risky. A poorly received joke could spark a public backlash and negatively affect your brand. All the while, brainstorming and executing a practical joke takes time and energy away from your actual business. Nevertheless, April Fools might allow your business to show a sense of humor and strengthen ties with your audience, especially among devoted fans. Let’s review some of the most popular social media jokes from April 1, 2024.
Huge corporations clearly have a bigger budget for advertising, but smaller organizations can still succeed with a relatable sense of humor. Lego made a whole promotion for a "Supersized Tim" Minion with 102,213 (mostly yellow) bricks and a 8,947-page instruction manual. After April 1st, the joke pivoted into an announcement for real Despicable Me 4 Lego sets.
Are you planning an April Fools stunt for your company? Here are three big tips:
Compared to recent years, 2024 wasn't a big year for April Fools gags. The Dole banana sleeping bag looks like an AI-generated image, which begs the question of whether more companies will take advantage of AI in future years. Where a big real-world stunt or graphic design work could get expensive for small and medium businesses, it's relatively quick and easy to generate a funny image with AI. A few brands like Dunkin' Donuts actually produced merch to sell in connection with their April Fools joke:
Major brands with marketing teams can make mistakes, too. Then again, relatively wholesome jokes turn April Fools into an opportunity for creativity. Urban Outfitters ran a "Name Three Shirts" campaign on Instagram in 2024, referencing the familiar gatekeeping cliche: Classic rock fans might get tired of seeing their favorite band's logo worn by people who don't listen to the band's music. A suspected fake might be challenged to "name three songs" by the band on their T-shirt.
Not just opportunities for creative advertising, April Fools can be a time for brands to collaborate. 7-Eleven, Inc. teamed up with Miracle Seltzer to pull off the Hot Dog Water stunt. Similarly, Rosetta Stone joined forces with Fluent Cannabis (slogan "We Speak Cannabis") to run a chuckle-worthy ad for Rosetta "Stoned" on April Fools.
It's a tricky balance, finding inoffensive topics that still get a laugh. Marijuana has inspired all kinds of screwball comedies, and yet the current legalization process is not without controversy. Check out our blog for a few of the ways that marijuana rescheduling is affecting the trucking industry:
Major brands and billionaires can make mistakes with humor. Ever one to make headlines, Elon Musk tweeted about taking over DEI for Disney in 2024. His past jokes show how April Fools shenanigans can be risky. In 2018, Musk tweeted that Tesla was going bankrupt, but the joke wasn't as amusing to shareholders. In 2023, Twitter announced that it would "wind down" the legacy checkmarks from verified profiles on April 1st, causing uncertainty about whether the announcement was yet another April Fools joke. Weeks later, when paid check marks replaced the symbol for verified accounts, it made it harder to distinguish between fake profiles and real organizations.
April first isn't just an opportunity for marketing for-profit businesses. Local police departments and other law enforcement agencies use April Fools to connect with their communities. It's no substitute for long term community outreach, but a funny social media post can remind the public that law enforcement officers include people with a sense of humor. Judging by posts in 2024, a few jokes seem to be recycled pretty frequently:
“Fool me once, strike one. But fool me twice . . . strike three.”
— Michael Scott
You might think the DOT keeps all their funniest workers busy with slogans for traffic signs. Nevertheless, there's something funny about Croc-style shoes, especially with attachments like the NYSDOT's mini snow plows. Not to jump straight back to law enforcement, but the Western Australia Police Force made an impressive video with flashing lights for their Aprils Fool Croc Launch.
Even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted for April Fools Day, albeit with a more sobering PSA. For businesses and organizations that want to engage with the public, it's usually not impossible to package some part of your message for April Fools, potentially reaching new audiences. Then again, "playing it safe" can result in an underwhelming post that's more awkward and stilted than funny.
Have April Fools jokes become fair game for everyone? The F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office posted about "voice activated" camouflage, asking "Why settle for just stealth when you can be stylish too?" The images look pretty cool, but the F-35 program might have more discretionary funds for graphics and social media than typical business owners.
Military humor isn't popular with everyone, but veterans bring something special to the business world. Our Co-Founder Dave Gabbard proudly served in the US Signal Corps from 1975 to 1979, and his RATT rig was pretty far removed from the communications technology in an F-35.
Bohannon, Molly “Tinder Posts Ad For ‘VP Of Ghosting’: Here Are Some Of The Best April Fools’ Pranks By Companies In 2024” Forbes April 1, 2024
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/04/01/tinder-posts-ad-for-vp-of-ghosting-here-are-some-of-the-best-april-fools-pranks-by-companies-in-2024/
Davison, Tamara “April Fool's Day jokes round-up: the best pranks of the holiday as big brands join in” The Standard April 3, 2024
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/april-fools-jokes-pranks-aldi-easyjet-currys-b1148858.html
Khalid, Amrita “April Fools’ Day 2024: the best and cringiest pranks” The Verge April 1, 2024
https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/1/24118011/april-fools-day-2024-pranks-jokes-best-worst
Snider, Mike and Gabe Hauari “April Fools' Day pranks: Apps to translate baby stoner sayings, a ghostbuster at Tinder” USA Today April 1, 2024
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/04/01/april-fools-day-2024-brands-companies-pranks-jokes/73138684007/
