This April's Fools Day 2024, people will certainly try to pull pranks on their families and friends. Aside from these, businesses also do their own pranks.
They will try to take advantage of the power of prankvertising (prank advertising) to improve their brand's image. But is pulling jokes or pranks really good for companies and businesses?
April's Fools 2024: Why Prankvertising is Powerful
According to The Conversation's latest report, "prankvertising" came from the works "prank" and "advertising." This marketing campaign is used for online branding purposes.
Prankvertising has become an effective marketing strategy to get consumers' attention in a highly crowded market. Various studies revealed that prankvertisements can increase people's perception of brand "love" and "friendlyness" if crafted and executed properly.
Even if the advertisements are fake, prankvertising can make them efficient in getting consumers' attention. This is because advertising relies on humor, one of the moods that effectively creates strong relationships with people.
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Prankvertising Don't Always Work
There's no denying that prankvertising is a powerful marketing tactic. However, it doesn't always work. This has already been experienced by Tesla, Google, and Volkswagen.
Tesla
Elon Musk posted a bankruptcy prank in 2018, which caused Tesla's stocks to drop by 7%, as reported by USA Today.
Volkswagen
The German automaker pranked people by claiming its new name was "Voltswagen." Corporate strategy expert Rita McGrath of Columbia Business School said that this prankvertisement "was a mistake."
In 2016, Google introduced a fake Gmail feature called "Mic Drop." However, a Gmail bug unintentionally added the fake Mic Drop feature, forcing Google to turn it off manually.
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