Written by 1st April, a day earmarked with jokes and gags. We’re talking about April Fools’, of course! A day that presents cheeky people – and brands – far and wide the opportunity to bring some humour in the form of pranks to those around them.
Now that the day is almost over, let’s take a closer look at these 7 brands who ushered in the April Fools’ fun this year and trolled us with fake ads.
1. KFC
Image adapted from: KFC
One of the first few brands that we spotted jumping in this year’s April Fools’ Day was fast food chain KFC.
For this year’s April Fools’ Day, KFC took to Facebook to announce that it’d be adding a new and very unusual product to its line-up: fried chicken essence. And no, they don’t mean chicken jus or gravy, they’re talking about the “Brands” type of chicken essence we all fondly remember growing up with.
While there wasn’t an April Fools’ disclaimer in sight, we’re pretty sure that this isn’t really happening. The post garnered a total of 170+ comments and an incredible 663 shares – engagement far exceeding that of their usual content. Good one, KFC!
2. Aetos Holdings
Plausible? We’re not convinced. It also seems as though Gargar is being conscripted against his will.
Image adapted from: Aetos Holdings
We’ve heard of the K-9 Unit in the police force, but how about the…F-9 Unit?
Adding on to the April Fools’ fun on social media is security company Aetos Holdings, who introduced a brand new Feline Unit (F-9 Unit) to their auxiliary police force! Though, what makes the post suspect is the fact that Gargar’s highlighted traits are a grumpy personality and its 9 lives.
Also another one to leave the post open to interpretation, the 322 comments – most of them pictures of users’ cats – and the 2.8K shares on the post prove that even more serious brands can effectively capitalise on the April Fools’ hype as well.
3. KOI Thé Singapore
And if you’re one of those few to celebrate the weird AF flavour combos – no judgement here! That being said, we’ll er…pass on this one.
Image adapted from: KOI Thé Singapore
Coriander lovers, you’ve been ridiculed and questioned about your life choices…but this one’s for you. On this fine day, bubble tea brand KOI took the opportunity to troll the whole of Singapore by adding a new, questionable drink to their bubble tea arsenal – Coriander Chocolate Milk.
We’re not sure if this is actually a good flavour combination or not, but hey, the post definitely served its purpose, causing disgusted looks all around. With 60+ comments and 76 shares, the post saw many people tagging coriander-hating friends to share the laughs. Not a bad troll by KOI.
4. Meiji Seika
Image credit: Meiji Seika Singapore
When it comes to childhood snacks that we’ve grown up with, we know Meiji’s YanYan snack all too well. In an April Fools’ exclusive, Meiji released a shocking post promoting two new offerings with a twist: all sticks, no dip; and all dip, no sticks. Lowkey sacrilegious for many meiji lovers out there, so heads were definitely turned.
Team All Dip, No Sticks – where you at?
5. The Alley
Image adapted from: The Alley
Instead of trolling people with some outrageous new drink flavour, the team from The Alley announced a new cup size instead – an extremely tiny one that can fit in the palm of your hand. While the post didn’t catch an insane amount of traction, it was still a pretty decent attempt to trick the lot of us bubbletea lovers out there.
One thing that did catch our eye though: what is APRILS Fool?! All we can say is their hashtag game needs some working on.
6. Durex
Image credit: Durex
If you’re familiar with Durex, you’ll know that their social media game is extremely on-point, and they regularly leverage on significant dates like Fathers’ Day to come up with witty social media posts.
For this year’s April Fools’ Day, Durex announced the launch of their new unisex streetwear collection, comprising items such as a bucket hat, a T-shirt, socks and a tote bag – all sporting the Durex logo and witty, sexual innudendoes like “wrap that head” and “safe tee first”. Now this has definitely got more than a few people raising some brows at the idea in our relatively conservative Singapore.
While we’re sure this is just an April Fools’ joke, the design of the items don’t look too bad. Durex might even make some profit from going ahead with a collection like this!
7. NEX Singapore
Image adapted from: NEX Singapore
Rounding off our list of 7 brands who joined in the April Fools’ social media fun was shopping mall NEX, who posted a fake news article of crocodiles being spotted at the children’s playground in their mall.
Unless our reptilian friends have made their way from the marshes of Sungei Buloh to Serangoon, it’s news so crazy, everyone knows they’re pranking us. Good job NEX for the laugh!
Brands that pulled off April Fools’ pranks
If there’s a lesson to learn in marketing, it’s that even the less significant days in the year like April Fools’ Day can present a golden opportunity for brands to have fun and claim a little bit of the spotlight.
While some are clearly outrageous and outside the realm of possibility, others are actually quite believable, which may lead to confusion and backlash. Our tip: best to ensure the joke is really in the obvious so that people won’t think otherwise.
Nevertheless, these brands have certainly made us laugh, and goes to show that a little bit of trolling can be fun for everyone!
Cover image adapted from: KOI Thé Singapore, NEX Singapore
