{"id":3744,"date":"2023-03-30T15:02:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T15:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/?p=3744"},"modified":"2023-11-29T15:10:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T15:10:11","slug":"april-fools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/april-fools\/","title":{"rendered":"No Kidding: How Brands can Execute a Strategic April Fools\u2019 Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By Taylor Burke<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As marketers and innovators, we love a good brand moment; and as humans, we love a good chuckle. When those two things collide on a day as natural as April Fools\u2019, it can feel like\u00a0a shoe-in\u00a0for companies to participate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what if it doesn\u2019t always make sense? While we\u2019d all love to get involved in the fun, approaching April Fools\u2019 Day with the same keen eye as our ongoing PR\/Marketing strategies is key to success. Read on for some brand considerations as we approach the start of April (and we promise we\u2019re serious about these suggestions &#8211; no April Fools here):\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-determine-if-april-fools-is-on-brand-or-not\"><strong>Determine if April Fools is on brand or not<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First things first: what is your brand\u2019s priority message\/content the remaining 364 days a year? If it\u2019s humorous and leads with an edge, this may be the holiday for you. But if your brand tone tends to be more serious in nature, shy away from activating on April Fools. Otherwise, your users, readers and followers may take your prank seriously &#8211; and this can lead to long-term misconceptions, or worse, brand mistrust.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-be-turnkey-in-your-approach\"><strong>Be turnkey in your approach\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If April Fools\u2019 is a fit for your brand, be clever and quick in your activation &#8211; but don\u2019t leave your audiences guessing for too long. April Fools\u2019 Day is often a crowded moment, and it doesn\u2019t usually drive lasting headlines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of this, a simple-to-execute, low-budget approach is often the right route to take. You also want your April Fools\u2019 Day offering to be easy enough to understand; if it takes too long for consumers to grasp, the lighthearted moment will be lost, and in turn, so will your chances at making it into stories\/social reshares.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bring-inclusivity-and-thoughtfulness-to-the-forefront\"><strong>Bring inclusivity and thoughtfulness to the forefront\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having fun is important, but even more important is showing everyone in your audience that you care. This means regardless of what you do on April Fools\u2019 Day &#8211; whether it be a stunt, announcement or something else &#8211; your brand\u2019s activity should resonate with people from all backgrounds. Take time to truly understand each of your audiences before any execution, and always be mindful in your tone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also crucial to think about the ultimate impact your April Fools\u2019 Day idea will have on various audiences. If the end result will match your intentions and keep up brand love, then it\u2019s likely a smart campaign.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-have-your-brand-spokespeople-ready\"><strong>Have your brand spokespeople ready<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re going to take a fun &#8211; and of course temporary &#8211; brand stance, ensure your key spokespeople are ready to back it up. Reporters may have questions (e.g., how your brand came up with the idea, if this may actually be the future of your company, etc.), so make sure your reps are fully in the loop with your plans and peppered with responses. It\u2019s also a chance to show off your executives\u2019 personalities &#8211; and build even more brand love.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lead-with-integration-every-step-of-the-way\"><strong>Lead with integration every step of the way\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re going to engage on April Fools\u2019 Day &#8211; really go for it. Today, consumers likely absorb your brand via website, social, blog and other platforms &#8211; and this means they\u2019re keyed into your every move. It\u2019s no longer enough to simply revamp your logo to a cheekier version on 1 April and share it on your webpage; instead, it must come through on all of your channels. If your content is creative, valuable and &#8211; most importantly &#8211; consistent, you\u2019ll get attention from current fans, new potential customers and beyond.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, it goes without saying any campaign should also tie in to the newest trends, as this opens the door to naturally fitting in current conversations. If your brand is tuned into the latest culture happenings &#8211; and follows the steps above &#8211; then you and your audience will have a great April Fools with plenty of laughs along the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Taylor is a senior account director in Allison+Partners London office. She has more than seven years of international PR experience and enjoys working daily on strategic efforts for clients, including developing and executing thoughtful brand plans, campaigns, events and media relations programmes that garner significant increased company awareness. Her experience ranges across a variety of consumer brands, including in the luxury lifestyle, food, health\/wellness, beauty, fashion and automotive industries.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Taylor Burke As marketers and innovators, we love a good brand moment; and as humans, we love a good [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.1 (Yoast SEO v21.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>No Kidding: How Brands can Execute a Strategic April Fools\u2019 Day - Allison Worldwide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Approaching April Fools\u2019 Day with the same keen eye as our ongoing PR\/Marketing strategies is key to success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/april-fools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No Kidding: How Brands can Execute a Strategic April Fools\u2019 Day - 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