On April 1st, companies, media outlets and famous people want to fool the public. But that can also backfire. This is shown by several examples.
1. When Google introduced the “Mic Drop”.
In 2016, Google wanted to impress its mail users with a new function. The tech giant quickly replaced the “Send and Archive” function with “Send and Drop Mic”. The button added a GIF to the email: a minion dropping a microphone.
Since the function was placed right next to the “Send” function, people accidentally sent the GIF in important emails. That didn’t go down well with everyone. There was a hail of complaints at Google. The company made the button disappear on the same day and apologized to customers.
2. When a UFO sent London into turmoil
In 1989, British entrepreneur Richard Branson made a bigger joke. Dressed as an alien, he flew over London in a UFO-like hot air balloon. The police received various calls from angry drivers. The action went so far that the police even moved out and surrounded the landing UFO.
When the police exposed the joker, they even threatened to arrest him. In any case, April Fool’s Day was expensive fun.
When does an April Fool’s joke go too far?
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“An April Fool’s joke should make you smile or laugh because it is so absurd,” says Johanna Gollnhofer, professor of marketing at the University of St. Gallen.
But as soon as an April Fool’s joke has any real consequences, it becomes problematic. People should not take actions because of April Fool’s Day.
According to the marketing expert, an April Fool’s joke also goes too far if it hurts the feelings of certain groups within a society.
3. When Volkswagen angered the US Securities and Exchange Commission
The German automobile company Volkswagen wanted to draw attention to its commitment to electromobility in the USA with an April Fool’s joke. At the end of March 2021, VW quickly announced that it would be called “Voltswagen” in the USA from now on.
The company later scaled back; the name change was an April Fool’s joke. But numerous US media outlets had already reported on it and reacted angrily.
There was also anger from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Due to the name change, Volkswagen shares rose by almost five percent. The stock market regulator accused the group of knowingly influencing the share price.
4. When BBC joked about London’s landmark
The British don’t have much fun when it comes to their beloved Big Ben. This was shown in an April Fool’s joke by the British TV and radio station BBC.
Legend: Big Ben is considered an important landmark in London. Colourbox
On April 1, 1980, the station announced that the analog clock on the tower would be replaced by a digital one. BBC even published a picture of the new watch.
With the report, the media company received a real shitstorm. It had to apologize for April Fools’ Day for weeks.