April Fools 2024: Who Did it Best?

April Fools’ Day has evolved over recent years, becoming dominated by brand stunts. The explosion in the number of brands pranking consumers each April is driven by a desire to go “viral” and an appreciation of the need to be relatable on social media. But what is the right way for brands to mark the event? To start this week’s WTB Marketing Essentials, we’ll delve into the best April Fools of the year and the strategy behind them.

Duolingo – Go Big and Ensure Your Audience Is in on the Joke

Duolingo always fully commit to their pranks. Going big so that stunts are clear is vital for brands to avoid confusing consumers, as well as increasing the likelihood of generating conversation.?

This year, in collaboration with Seatgeek, the language learning app announced the “launch” of Duolingo on Ice – a four-hour musical, with Duo the Owl dancing in the rink. If it wasn’t obvious enough that this was a joke, people who attempted to buy tickets were informed the show is cancelled and offered a promo code for the app. The humorous launch video was viewed millions of times across social platforms and generated conversation about the app in the comments section. View.

Tinder – Align Your Stunt to Your Product and Customers

Dating app Tinder pranked their customers by posting a job advert for a new senior position – VP of Ghost Hunting. This humorously plays on the concept of “ghosting” from online dating, in which a person cuts off communication without warning and suddenly disappears from the life of their date.??

This stunt is completely rooted in Tinder’s product and in experiences many of their users will have had. It therefore communicates with their customers in a space that Tinder has the right to and is instantly relatable by tying to an emotive and memorable experience of their customers.??View.

Specsavers – Aligning April Fools’ Day with a Wider Strategy?

The biggest mistake a brand can make on April Fools’ Day is viewing it as an isolated event in their marketing calendar. Any activation should still fit within your wider marketing strategy and serve to communicate your brand values.??

Specsavers’ campaign this year serves as an excellent example of this. Over years Specsavers have used their Twitter to make jokes about the use of VAR in Premier League football, and this April Fools’ they “revealed” former referee Mike Dean to be the Social Media Admin behind them. The humorously dramatic video was a tentpole activation as part of an ongoing and existing social media content stream.?View.

What Else Happened This Week?

Sifted 100 Leaderboard Released

This week Sifted announced its leaderboard – the Sifted 100 – that ranks the fastest-growing startups across the UK and Ireland by revenue growth. Members of the leaderboard have generated a combined revenue of ￡6.5bn and a combined employee count of 16,000. To be eligible, startups must have an HQ in the UK or Ireland, be founded after 2014 and the majority of income must be generated by proprietary technology.??

There are many brilliant businesses on the list, including our client Marshmallow, at 13! Read more.

Influencer Marketing Trends Amongst SMEs

Iwoca, one of the largest lenders to small businesses in Europe, conducted research into SMEs and social media usage. The study found that 70% of SME owners utilise social media platforms, with 29% of entrepreneurs aged 18-44 having worked with influencers to elevate their business.?

Another notable finding was changes to social media marketing strategies for SMEs, with TikTok becoming an increasingly common core channel. Today, 29% of business owners aged 18-44 utilise the platform compared to 10% in 2021, with most effective results reached when collaborating with niche influencers and their deeply engaged followings.?Read more.

Millennials Most Likely to be Influenced by Retail Ads

A recent survey of UK shoppers showed that Millennials are the most likely to be influenced by retail media advertisements, with 47% expressing a likelihood to purchase after exposure to immersive digital in-store ads, versus 35% of the general population. ?

Moreover, almost half of respondents stated that retail media ads encountered in-store assist in validating repeat purchases from brands, fostering brand engagement and loyalty, especially amongst existing customers.?Read more.

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