5 Tips for April Fool’s Day Promotion
by Yello Mar 23, 2018
It’s almost April 1st and you know what that means – April Fools’ Day. The April Fools’ Day of pranks is a tradition that dates so far back, most people have no idea how it even got started. However, it is a tradition that millions around the world have embraced, which naturally means that businesses have embraced it as well.
Getting in on the April Fools’ Day fun can be a great way for businesses to engage their customers, show a light-hearted and human side of their brand, increase brand awareness, etc. However, there are some important factors to consider, to ensure your April Fools’ promotion ends with the desired results and not as a failure or worse, a P.R. nightmare. Here are few tips to consider in executing a successful April Fools’ Day promotion.
- Remember Brand Identity – With the concept of April Fools’ often seen as a time for silly fun, some businesses can often make the mistake of focusing too much on the silly and forgetting about who they are as a brand. While it’s important to make your April Fools’ promotion something that rings true to the spirit of the day, it is more important to remain true to your brand identity. Make sure you consider if what you want to do aligns with your brand image and values.
- Avoid Being Offensive/Insensitive – This seems obvious, but surprisingly many businesses have failed in this regard. Whether it’s the use of the wrong word, a poorly positioned image, etc. an offensive and/or an insensitive prank can result in a public relations nightmare for a business. As a general rule of thumb, keep things very light and simple. Too elaborate pranks tend to have a much higher likelihood of going very wrong.
- Promote Prank – Naturally, the goal of engaging in an April Fools’ promotion is to increase brand awareness and engagement. Therefore, it’s not enough to merely have an April Fools’ prank on the day and hope your audience hears about it or sees it. It is also important to promote it – be it, by boosting social media posts, involving local media in some way, etc.
- Tie-In Incentive – Piggybacking off the previous point, a great way to successfully execute an April Fools’ prank is to offer some type of tie-in incentive for customers. For example, even if you’ve created a fake new product that doesn’t really exist, offer customers a real free product item if they “purchase” the fake product.
- Think Outside The Box – While it is important to stay true to your brand, that doesn’t mean you can’t still think outside the box. The two are not mutually exclusive. (http://rxreviewz.com/) The truth is many businesses will be using this day as an opportunity for promotion. Therefore, doing something predictable and with little thought behind it is hardly going to make your business stand out. Think of something truly unexpected and surprising that still reflects your brand and you have a much better chance of standing out to customers and potential buyers.
Happy almost April Fools’ Day and remember Yello has the answers to all your digital marketing needs. Contact us today to get started.
