I’m not someone who pays much attention to April Fools’ Day. However, I am always excited to see what brands do to celebrate the holiday.
It can be easy for some pranks to be tacky. But when a company is able to succeed at a prank, it can bring attention to its brand or product and potentially drive up sales.
After seeing many companies attempt to do something fun for April Fools’ Day, here are the brands that I think killed it in the past.
Duolingo and Peacock
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok, you might have seen the Duolingo Owl pop up on your For You Page. Duolingo’s marketing is top-notch, so much so that it has convinced me to brush up on my Spanish on the app.
While I figured Duolingo would do something fun for April Fools’, I wasn’t prepared for them to partner with Peacock to release a full trailer for a new reality TV show in 2023.
The show’s premise is that a bunch of the “hottest singles” will share a house in hopes of finding true love. However, none of them speak the same language.
As a fan of reality TV, I would honestly watch a show with this plot. I almost want to see this collaboration actually happen.
Duolingo always does marketing well and I’m glad we got to see Peacock also have some fun with this prank.
Rare Beauty
Since its launch in 2020, Selena Gomez’s makeup brand has taken over the makeup world and has been praised for its inclusive shades and accessible packaging.
One of their most famous products is the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. While the bottle may be small, the pigmented formula goes a long way, with some fans convinced it never runs out.
Rare Beauty turned these reviews on their head and released an ad for a new large version of its liquid blush that is “larger-than-life.” The blush features a doe-foot applicator that is the size of a real doe’s foot and comes in at $401 (referencing the date of April Fools’).
They also “offered” customers a subscribe and save option that would send a new jumbo liquid blush every 10 years.
It’s clear that Rare Beauty knows its fans and its products, plus it went and actually built the “4.01” liter bottle of blush. The effort was there, and I think it definitely paid off.
Ugg
Uggs are coming back in style (my first-grade self is absolutely thrilled), but they can sometimes be hard to find. This is especially the case for the platform Uggs, which debuted in 2020 and have since been nearly impossible for fans to buy.
Seeing the demand for the extra height, Ugg released a new version of its platform boots. They were advertised as triple the height of the regular platforms, meaning that the platform was six inches tall!
While these shoes would probably mess up your ankles and be a tripping hazard, it wasn’t impossible to imagine Ugg releasing a shoe like this. Exaggerated platforms aren’t new, and maybe Ugg was just ready to get in on the trend.
Similar to Rare Beauty, Ugg recognized what the consumers were looking for and delivered in an extreme way. Overall, this prank is “Uggconic.”
Aquaphor
I swear by Aquaphor, I truly think it is the best for dry skin and chapped lips.
So when I saw this post on Aquaphor’s Instagram, I was honestly intrigued.
Aquaphor posted an ad for its new Aquaphor Gallon Size. It’s the same formula, only in a milk-jug-sized container.
It isn’t the most portable or realistic size, but I don’t think many people would be opposed to having a bulk-size Aquaphor on hand. As someone who uses it every day, I don’t think it would be a bad investment.
While this may never actually be sold, I think Aquaphor killed it with this “prank.” And if they ever decide to release a ridiculous size for its product, I will be ready and willing to buy it.
Tinder
While Tinder profiles are meant to show your personality and individuality, there are always the same kinds of people and pictures you see on the app.
One of the most popular is the quintessential “man holding a fish” photo.
In order to combat this epidemic, Tinder announced that it would be “oh-fish-ally” removing all fish pics from the app so that it would be easier for users to “reel in a catch.”
Tinder has always taken its April Fools’ pranks seriously, even “introducing” height verification in 2019 so that users could no longer lie about their height on the app.
It’s always fun when a brand is self-aware, and Tinder has found the flaws in its app and turned them into jokes.
Sprite
As a fountain drink connoisseur, I know there is no better soda than the ones from McDonald’s. Though my heart belongs to McDonald’s Diet Coke, there is something about a Sprite from McDonald’s that hits different.
Calling it “Spicy Sprite,” Sprite released a promo for its partnership with McDonald’s for the canned version of its famous Sprites.
Many brands got in on the joke, including McDonald’s themselves, who “feared” what the legal team would think of this collaboration.
I don’t think there’s any way of truly capturing the magic of a McDonald’s Sprite, but the ad was still funny and a great way for Sprite to get in on the fun.
Only time will tell if April Fools’ Day 2024 will match the same level as years prior.