Social Mixer 2024 Singapore
marketing interactive Content360 Singapore 2024 Content360 Singapore 2024
April Fool's Day roundup: Did you do a double take for these pranks?

April Fool's Day roundup: Did you do a double take for these pranks?

share on

It is time for the annual tradition of mischief and pranks as April Fool's Day dawns upon us. After a gruelling year that COVID-19 brought about, brands across Southeast Asia are now going full force in bringing cheers and joy through creative pranks. However, it seems that not everyone is on board with the idea. Google has reportedly said it will not be participating in this year's April Fool's Day. According to multiple media reports, Google said it will not create a series of elaborate and occasionally entertaining April Fool's pranks this year. This is the second year that Google has decided to sit out of the occasion. 

Besides Google, Burger King has also decided not to prank its consumers this year. However, the fast food joint introduced a Chocolate Whopper (a Whopper dressed with a layer of chocolate) on 1 April, which raised some eyebrows. Burger King has since confirmed to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the Chocolate Whopper is indeed a real item on its menu. "After the year we've all had, we're also not feeling in the mood to prank you or be pranked, so we're keeping it real this April Fools'," Burger King said in a press release.

With that said, there were many other brands that were eager to tickle consumers this year. Here are cheeky works the team at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw:

Durex Malaysia

The condom brand unveiled an optical illusion on its Facebook page with the caption to "nod your head". Upon moving their heads up and down, viewers will realise that there is a hidden message between the lines that says "Say yes to Durex". Aimed to drive engagement and talkability, a spokesperson from Durex Malaysia told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it wanted to arouse audiences' interest, while getting fans to tag their friends and make them nod in front of their mobile screen, agreeing and saying yes to Durex condom.

"Optical illusions are timeless. Anytime we come across an optical illusion post on Facebook or Instagram, we'd instinctively stop our daily scrolls to decipher its hidden meaning or message," the spokesperson added.

durex malaysia april fool

Durex Singapore

A week before April Fool's Day, Durex Singapore unveiled a new product range - condoms that comes in local flavours. Slated to be launched on 1 April, the flavours vary from Mao Shan Wang (durian), Singapore Chendol, and Botak Coconut Sherbet. In a Facebook post, the condom manufacturer called for consumers to "rediscover what it means to love local", and teased a giveaway where users who comment which flavour they are excited to try might get a sample. 

durex april fool

Today, the brand revealed that it is indeed an April Fool's prank, but it has partnered with local ice-cream brand, Udders Ice Cream, that will allow consumers in Singapore to redeem one free scoop of ice-cream (of the mentioned flavours in its prank). The redemption will run from 2 to 3 April at its Novena outlet, and is limited to the first 100 scoops. To redeem the free ice-cream, consumers use the code "Udderly Durex" and show the staff that they have followed both Durex Singapore and Udders Ice Cream Instagram account.

foodpanda Singapore

The delivery platform has launched its own airline, aptly titled "panda airways". This comes as foodpanda claims to lift itself closer to its ambition of becoming a mega app. According to the company, panda airways will also offer 20 minute flights to nowhere for travel-deprived individuals. Aboard the flight, passengers can expect to be served with in-flight meals prepared by foodpanda's restaurant partners, as well as snacks stocked up by its very own pandamart. Passengers looking to purchase in-flight souvenirs will also be spoilt for choice with a wide variety of options from foodpanda shops.

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Annalisa Andrulli, head of marketing (food) for foodpanda Singapore, said: "Diversification has been on the top of people’s minds recently, especially with the recent announcements of new entrants in the food delivery space. Riding on this, we explored the idea of taking our services to the skies – literally – and panda airways was conceptualised.”

https://www.facebook.com/FoodpandaSingapore/videos/2832778970267417

iPrice Group

Malaysia's search website iPrice Group has unveiled a new mobile application, iPetite, aimed to help consumers find the best items for their pets. Targeted at the expanding pet care industry, iPrice said its app includes the latest features of voice recognition that enables consumers’ pets to communicate the products they want with their owners. With this ground-breaking technology, iPrice said it aims to be Southeast Asia’s best online shopping companion, even to the region’s furry friends. Although it was just an April Fool's prank, iPrice even created mock-ups of marketing assets for iPetite.

iprice april fool 1

iprice april fool 1

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, iPrice's spokesperson said idea came after the company had an internal competition between teams to propose the best ideas for April Fool's Day. Among many interesting ideas that were proposed, the team decided to go with iPetite as it is closer to iPrice core values, mission and expertise as an eCommerce aggregator, the spokesperson added. Other ideas the company had include a Nintendo game giveaway with every purchase, as well as Jack Ma and Elon Musk seeing huge potential in iPrice. 

Michelin Malaysia

The tyre manufacturer joined the April Fool's fun by unveiling its new product: tyres designed to tackle any terrain for a safe journey, including water. Michelin Malaysia promoted the "new tyres" through a Facebook post, alongside a short clip that shows a car driving on water. In the caption, it is added that Michelin's new product was developed in Michelin's top-secret lab.

https://www.facebook.com/MichelinMalaysia/videos/822032355054486

Mise-en-scène

Hair cosmetics brand Mise-en-scène also seemingly launched a new product this April Fool's Day. It introduced its most vibrant colour yet: the Hello Bubble Unicorn Colour. The hair dye touts to change your hair into colours of the rainbow. "It’s perfect for those feeling indecisive on what hair colour to choose from or looking to express themselves in a unique and magical way," the brand said, adding that it will only be available on 1 April. A spokesperson from Mise-en-scène has since confirmed to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it is a prank.

mise april fool

Pizza Hut Malaysia 

Pizza Hut Malaysia teased its "hottest delivery" in a Facebook post, with a picture of its pizza boxes flying out of a red Ferrari car. Without revealing much other information, the post is accompanied with the caption that encouraged users to place their order via Pizza Hut's website or app "to experience it". Although the jury is still out on whether it is a April Fool's prank, netizens were quick to assume that it is one, with many of them asking if it is a joke, and one encapsulating the feelings of most Malaysians who saw the ad: "Don't lie laa Pizza Hut". 

pizza hut my april fool

Poo Pourri

Hopping on the exotic flavour trend, toilet deodoriser company Poo Pourri has introduced a mala hotpot-scent on April's Fools. In an Instagram post, the company described the new toilet deodoriser to have notes of Sichuan peppercorn, chilli padi, coriander, and peanut. It even comes with a customising option, where consumers can choose the spray's spiciness level, from lightly spicy to very spicy. 

poo pourri april fool

PropertyGuru 

In an Instagram post, PropertyGuru Singapore said it has introduced new features on its app. These include "spirit sense", a feature that can filter out homes that had reports of hauntings or other-worldly entanglements; "noise alert", a feature that shows if the unit has noisy neighbours; as well as "furry neighbours", a feature that filter units with the most pets in the same block. However, at the end of the post, PropertyGuru revealed that it is all an April Fool's prank, and asked if viewers fell for it.

 propertyguru april fool 1

propertyguru april fool 2

propertyguru april fool 2

Shopee Singapore

Shopee has unveiled its latest offering, ShopeeTea by Shopee, this 1 April. In a press release, Shopee said since many users are flocking to its platform for bubble tea deals, the eCommerce platform has decided to start its own bubble tea chain. ShopeeTea will be unveiling two local flavours, Durian x Carrot and Mala Xiang Guo. This mixes all local favourites into a cup, the company said.

shopee tea april fool

Subway Malaysia

Leveraging on its "Eat Fresh" slogan, the brand, together with VaynerMedia Asia Pacific, created the Super Fresh Daily Face Wash as an April Fool's Day gimmick featuring seven ingredients such as tomato, lettuce, onion, cucumber, green pepper, cheese, and sweet corn.

https://www.facebook.com/SubwayMalaysia/photos/a.263482693702493/4133663533351037/?type=3

In a Facebook post, the brand said the seven face wash options were made for each day of the week and created using extracts from the freshest sub ingredients. "So you can pick and choose your daily faves to refresh your skin everyday," Subway added.

The Body Shop Indonesia

Cosmetic shop The Body Shop has also jumped on the April Fool's bandwagon with a special edition product: Durian Body Butter. Claiming to contain durian extract from North Sumatra, the company even listed out the benefits of including durian in its body butter, such as how it would help skin regeneration and prevent premature aging, as well as provide moisture and softness for up to 72 hours.

body shop april fool

Volkswagen USA

Globally, Volkswagen reportedly said it will be rebranding its US division to "Voltswagen of America". According to CNBC, the initial draft said the name change is "a public declaration of the company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility", adding that Voltswagen will be reflected as an exterior badge on all EV models. 

While it later turned out to be a April Fool's prank, as well as a marketing ploy for its new all-electric ID.4 SUV, Volkswagen's prank drew online chatter over the past few days and even saw an increase of its shares. Its press release was also left online just long enough for netizens and media outlets including Reuters, CNBC, ABC News and USA Today to pick up on it, before being deleted.

YouTrip 

Similar to iPrice Group, the team at YouTrip also looked to infiltrate the pet care industry by launching its first pet mobile wallet that allows its furry users to pay for toys with their treats. According to a blog post by the company, the new wallet "YouTrip for Pets" supports over 150 pet treat brands and have no conversion fees. Pets will be able to exchange their treats for toys, which YouTrip added that it will teach pets the valuable skill of taking care of their toys instead of ruining them in the next minute.

While YouTrip is not actually creating an app for pets, the company said it wanted to use this opportunity to bring users' attention to the local non-profit pet societies. These include Cat Welfare Society and Causes For Animals, which have been rescuing, rehabilitating, sterilising and re-homing as many strays and abandoned pets as they can. "We've introduced this special April Fool's initiative to raise awareness for these non-profit pet societies and their efforts. As a "launch" exclusive, every YouTrip user that registers their interest for YouTrip For Pets will be eligible for 50% cashback when they donate to either Cat Welfare Society or Causes For Animals Singapore.

youtrip april fool

Meanwhile, on the agency side, social media agency 8traordinary has decided to join in the fun with its own April Fool's post. Creating an encrypted artwork, the agency looks to send a message to its audiences. The post is accompanied with the caption "close one eye, tilt your phone and look from the charger hole". 

8traordinary april fool

Did you fall for any of these April Fool's pranks? Let us know if you have seen more at graceo@marketing-interactive.com!
 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Content 360 Week is back from 6 to 8 April this year! Super charge your content production, distribution and monetisation strategies by learning from brands such as NBA Asia, P&G, Malaysia Airlines, and Marriott International, among others. Sign up today!

(Photo courtesy: 123RF)

share on

Follow us on our Telegram channel for the latest updates in the marketing and advertising scene.
Follow

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top marketing stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's marketing development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window