During this morning’s meeting our boss was talking about how we should have our videos on during some meetings (we are still in the WFH mode, Yay!). We were waiting for him to shout out “Happy April Fool’s Day” after that declaration but sadly it was not a prank. (We are appropriately horrified about the fact that we now have to be dressed somewhat formally for meetings).
Our sadness aside, the marketing world has seen several mind blowing pranks which are talked about even today! And what better day to talk about them than the 1st of April when pranksters rule!
We’ll be exploring some of the funniest and most successful marketing pranks that have gone viral and captured the attention of audiences around the world.
Now, let’s get to the list of 9 Marketing Pranks That Went Viral:
- IKEA’s Balenciaga Bag:
In 2017, IKEA released an ad for a new product – a $0.99 blue tote bag. But a few weeks later, fashion house Balenciaga released a new handbag that looked almost identical to the IKEA tote, but with a price tag of $2,145. Many people were amused by the similarity and IKEA capitalized on the moment by releasing a tongue-in-cheek ad for “How to Identify an Original IKEA FRAKTA Bag”. The ad went viral and became one of the most successful marketing pranks of all time.
Credit : IKEA
- Burger King’s Whopper Detour:
In 2018, Burger King launched a campaign called “Whopper Detour” that offered customers a one-cent Whopper if they ordered it within 600 feet of a McDonald’s restaurant. The campaign used geolocation technology to identify McDonald’s locations and direct customers to the nearest Burger King. The campaign was a huge success, with Burger King’s app becoming the most downloaded app in the Apple store.
Credit : Burger King
- Cards Against Humanity’s Holiday Stunt:
In 2013, Cards Against Humanity launched a holiday campaign where customers could pay $12 to receive 12 mystery gifts in the mail. The catch? The company warned that the gifts would be “bulls***”. The campaign went viral and generated over $180,000 in revenue for the company. The gifts turned out to be things like a piece of coal, a potato, and a card with a picture of a llama on it, but customers loved the experience and it cemented Cards Against Humanity’s reputation as a fun and irreverent brand.
Credit : Cards Against Humanity
And then again the company is known as a serial prankster. Prior to the Christmas prank, they brought out this beauty during 2013’s Black Friday Sale –
Credit : Cards Against Humanity
People loved it and despite the price increase, their sales spiked.
- Pepsi’s Jeff Gordon Test Drive:
In 2013, Pepsi teamed up with NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon to create a prank where Gordon disguised himself as a mild-mannered car buyer and took an unsuspecting car salesman on a wild test drive. The prank was filmed and went viral, generating millions of views on YouTube. The campaign was so successful that it won a Cannes Lions Grand Prix award.
- BMW’s Moon Power:
Credit : BMW
In 2009, BMW created an ad campaign promoting a new technology called “Moon Power” that supposedly allowed their cars to run on lunar power. They released a series of videos showing their cars driving on the moon and an elaborate website explaining the science behind the technology. The campaign was a hit and generated a lot of buzz online.
- Google introduces Screen Cleaner:
In 2019, Google announced a new feature called “Screen Cleaner” that would use artificial intelligence to clean your phone’s screen by vibrating dirt and debris off of it. They released a video showing the feature in action and it quickly went viral. While the feature was obviously fake, it was a clever way for Google to promote its AI technology.
- Duolingo’s Push:
In 2017, Duolingo created a fake product called “Duolingo Push” that was supposed to be a physical owl that would follow you around and remind you to practice your language lessons. They released a funny video promoting the product and it generated a lot of buzz on social media. While the product was obviously fake, it helped to increase awareness of the Duolingo app.
- Tinder introduces height verification:
Credit : Tinder
In 2019, Tinder announced a new feature that would allow users to verify their height on their profile. They released a video promoting the feature and it quickly went viral. While the feature was obviously a prank, it helped to generate buzz for the dating app.
- Mark Zuckerberg x H&M
Credit : MarkforHM.com
One of the most famous marketing pranks of recent times was the Mark Zuckerberg x H&M collaboration that was unveiled on April Fools’ Day in 2016. The website, MarkforHM.com, claimed that fashion brand H&M had collaborated with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on a limited capsule collection of “reissued iconic pieces from H&M basics.”
The collection featured seven basic gray t-shirts and a pair of basic jeans, which the website claimed were similar to the ones that Zuckerberg himself wore to various events. The prank was well-executed and widely praised, with Vogue magazine even stating that the collection was “actually not a bad idea.”
So, why were these marketing pranks so successful? Well, they all had a few things in common – they were funny, unexpected, and tapped into the zeitgeist. They also generated a lot of buzz on social media, with people sharing and talking about the campaigns for weeks after they launched.
Marketing pranks can be a great way to generate buzz and create a memorable campaign, but they need to be done carefully and with a sense of humor. While Sunnyday Consulting may not be pranking anyone just yet, we appreciate the creativity and humor that goes into successful marketing pranks. At Sunnyday Consulting, we strive to create innovative and effective marketing campaigns that connect with our clients’ target audience and deliver results.
That being said, we believe in staying on top of marketing trends and experimenting with new ideas. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll come up with a marketing prank that captures the attention of the world!
In the meantime, we’ll continue to focus on providing excellent marketing services to our clients. If you’re looking for help with your marketing strategy or campaign, feel free to reach out to us at Sunnyday Consulting. We’re always happy to help businesses grow and achieve their goals through effective marketing.
Thank you for reading this blog post on “9 Marketing Pranks That Went Viral”. We hope you enjoyed the list and found it informative. Remember, while marketing pranks can be fun and effective, they should be approached with caution and executed with care. Happy marketing!
Feel free to contact us at support@sunnydayconsulting.com or call us at (+91) 79777 31552.
