From Content Marketing Institute: Three hundred sixty-four days a year, brands work hard creating content to build and strengthen trust with their audiences.
But on a single day in April, many brands suspend those trust-building efforts and throw them out the window by publishing content deliberately meant to fool (or worse, make fools of) their audiences.
Yes, it’s time to usher in April’s annual day of pranking. And it’s time to think before you hit “publish.”
The day seemingly gives you a reason to break the rules – crafting fake content, writing absurd headlines, and even promoting faux products.
But should you celebrate April Fools’ Day?
If your brand has never used humor or the element of surprise in its content, don’t do it.
If your brand thinks of April Fools’ as a one-day joke, don’t do it.
If your brand isn’t prepared to devote significant resources to develop a thoughtful, well-executed campaign, don’t do it.
If your brand leaders can’t weather criticism, don’t do it.
If, after all those caveats, you think April Fools’ fits with your brand, read on for some inspiration. And if you recognize April 1 isn’t a day for your brand to celebrate, read on for some universal lessons to use all 365 days of the year.
Integrate into your brand
Burger King frequently uses humor in its content. “BK is hilarious on Twitter,” writes Lindsay Welgarz in The Most Genius Tweets from Burger King’s Twitter Account.
The company told USA Today: “We like to playfully joke around with what the Internet and news outlets are saying, but never to be mean-spirited.”
That approach to humor perhaps is why April 1 is permanently circled on its creative calendar. The brand historically launched “new” products on the day, including the Left-Handed Whopper (redesigned by moving condiments 180 degrees), the Chocolate Whopper, and Whopper toothpaste. (You can tell they like to tell whopper tales.)
“April Fools’ has become a major date for Burger King and our campaigns have generated massive engagement with a younger, and often harder to reach, audience,” Fernando Machado, Burger King global chief marketing officer, has said.
In 2019, the brand used April Fools as an opportunity to strengthen that audience connection by partnering with the Clio Awards for the King’s Fools’ Challenge. The student who came up with the best caper would win Clio’s Student Integrated Campaign category and become an honorary creative director at Burger King. (This year, the contest has evolved into the Burger King Level Up Challenge Student Innovation Award. Students were asked to develop an idea that allows Burger King to talk organically to the gaming subculture.)
Lessons learned:
- If humor is appropriate one day a year, it should be part of your brand voice throughout the year.
- Think about how you can use a seemingly one-time encounter as a kickoff to a long-term relationship with your new audience.
Read the full article: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2021/03/risky-content-brands-april-fools-day/
