Do you remember the good old days when the height of comedy was a fake chewing gum pack that literally delivered a jolt to your fingertips? While those April Fool’s Day pranks defined everyone’s childhoods, as of now, the playground has moved to the phone screens. As the ultimate stage for brands to tap into the same sense of mischief.
On the 1st of April, many brands run campaigns to make adults feel nostalgic, take them by surprise, and make everyone smile and laugh. By adding a surprise element to their posts, be it through big announcements, suspiciously good offers, or the worst of all, discontinuing a beloved dish from their menu. This year wasn’t an exception. Here are some of the viral posts that clicked the most with netizens.
Tim Hortons
In the age of quick delivery platforms, Tim Hortons India posted a too-good-to-be-true poster, “Now presenting Tims drone delivery. A tiny reminder: it’s that day of the year.” At first glance, it makes you sit straight with eyes popped out, thinking if your favourite cup of joe could come flying to you. Even though they hinted at “it’s the day of the year,” whose mind can go to the date (1st April)? And just when you click on the caption, you could end up facepalming yourself with the punchline - “Just not today! Happy April Fool’s Day.” But if one thing’s certain, the post must have left you wanting to go to your nearest outlet for a cup of coffee, with a smile on your face. And that’s exactly what the point was!
Maggi
The most popular instant noodle brand, Maggi, just targeted the most controversial habit in the noodle-eating world. Whether it’s okay to eat Maggi with tomato ketchup or not. This April Fool’s Day, they announced the launch of Tomato Ketchup Flavoured Maggi. While the comment section turned into a ‘Civil War’, leaving netizens divided into two camps: those who love the combination and those who find the idea sacrilegious. But with their witty caption, “Yay or Nay, it’s not happening today. Happy April Fool’s Day.” The fake product was never real. But the debate, unfortunately, very much is.
Havemore Restaurant
Image Credits: Pexels
Unlike other brands, Havemore restaurant took a whole other route. Instead of launching something new, they threatened to take something away. And not just anything, their legendary butter chicken. For those in Delhi NCR who are familiar with the brand’s iconic North Indian classic, it was an utter shock. The post that started with “Confirmed News! After years of being your favourite, Havemore has decided to discontinue its legendary butter chicken.” The sombre tone made everyone skip the caption. What a solid prank! Once you came back to read the caption, the racing heart must’ve gotten some relief with, “Havemore aur uska legendary butter chicken, yeh sirf ek dish nahi, ek emotion hai aur isko kaise discontinue kar sakte hain? Bas thodi der ke liye laga na ki yeh sach hai? April Fool’s!”
Britannia X Zepto
Partnering with the quick commerce platform, Zepto, Britannia planted a “Free Turkish Ice Cream” button right on the home page of the app. No discounts, no delivery fee, just plain and simple, FREE. It was natural for everyone to click on the button, add their favourite flavour of the ice cream to the cart, but Zepto wouldn’t let you. Moving the “Add” button away from you every time, it left multiple users fooled! And if it left you pranked, it would automatically make you share it with your friends, thus creating a brilliant consumer behaviour loop, leaving a slight craving for an ice cream cone on a sunny day.
Theobroma
Chocolate lovers, assemble. Leaving an Instagram reel featuring a pink truck roaming around the streets, Theobroma announced that their massive Chocolate Tanker was giving away free melted chocolate across various cities. Looking for the ‘cities’, the digital prank must’ve fooled you, that too without dropping any subtle hints about it being an April Fool’s Day post. Now. Did you believe it? Even for a second? Even in the part of your brain that knows better? Of course you did. Because this is Theobroma. The brand whose brownies have made grown adults reconsider their entire relationship with dessert. Giving you a solid urge to grab their brownies, their April Fool’s Day prank worked like a charm.