Psyched’ is your monthly insight into the psychology and social science that guide our everyday choices. Authored by Summer Treseder, a strategist at Wavemaker, ‘Psyched’ unpacks the ‘why’ behind consumer choices with each edition delving into a provocative topic. From exploring ‘the rational reasons why Karens exist,’ dissecting ‘why mascot matter’ to examining our obsession with ‘brand trainwrecks,’ no subject is off limits. Each issue equips marketers (and us ad folk) with deeper insights into consumers’ minds, creating more meaningful connections.
April Fool’s Day. A day in the industry as divisive as tomato vs BBQ sauce, pineapple on pizza, or crunchy vs smooth peanut butter. And this year’s no different. I’m going to take you through my faves and flops from ‘25 and delve into the psychology of what makes, or breaks an April Fools’ ad.
Over the years, the ‘fool’ in April Fool’s Day has diminished as consumers become more critical and clued-in, reducing the element of surprise that once characterised the occasion. Schema Theory attributes this to people’s mental frameworks, shaped by prior knowledge and experiences that help them anticipate such pranks.
I believe that this shift doesn’t necessarily detract from the spirit of the day, as long as advertisements can steer clear of cringe-worthy content and instead elicit a good old-chuckle.
So, without further adjure, here are some of the best and worst April Fool’s campaigns, categorised as:
In the know… but still a go
People appreciated these April Fools’ ads, not because they were surprised, but rather due to the mere exposure effect, which suggests that familiar humour or yearly repetition breeds enjoyment.
Finance Bro Wants a Wife
Seven’s announcement of the apparent new series “Finance Bro Wants a Wife” is a well-executed April Fool’s prank that playfully taps into the “finance bro” trope. With tongue-in-cheek copy and a keen understanding of current online trends, Seven has crafted a culturally relevant and humorous campaign that resonates with their audience, making for a funny and entertaining April Fool’s joke. Well played.
Movember’s Rebrand
Movember’s apparent rebrand to “Mustache-vember,” an obvious April Fool’s Day stunt, is a great example of a brand having a little fun while establishing localised roots by poking fun at global audiences (especially in the U.S.) who may not know that “Mo” stands for moustache.
Decaf Dared Iced Coffee
Dare is renowned for launching an annual April Fool’s Ad, and 2025 is no different, with the brand announcing the launch of their new “decaffeinated” coffee. These annual pranks not only allow the brand to show off their playful personality but also create a habitual occurrence that audiences anticipate.
Ads that (actually) fooled people
These ads are rarer than a Marvel movie without a post-credit’s scene, as they successfully fooled people…and Aussies are here for it. Why? The Expectancy Violation Theory and Incongruity Theory of Humour explains that an ad’s unexpected creativity can capture attention, engage cognitive processing, and generate humour through the discrepancy between expectation and reality.
Prime Video’s Cricket Announcement
Prime Video Sports’ Instagram post pranked social users by claiming that England had cancelled the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, citing their lack of Test match wins since 2011 and declaring a “moral series win.” Despite the post title clearly mentioning “April Fool’s Day,” many users fell for the joke, sparking a range of comments.
The Jury is still out on whether the below 2 product launches are an April fool’s ploy or a proper product launch, however if you ask me, the timings seem suspicious.
Frida’s Breast Milk Ice cream
Frida, a brand best known for their pre- and post-partum products for mothers, has divided social media users with the announcement of a new product just three days before April Fool’s Day. While the timing of the release might suggest a prank, Frida’s reputation in the maternal care market lends credibility to the announcement, leaving many uncertain whether to take it seriously or dismiss it as a clever April Fool’s joke.
Lynx with Catnip
Lynx has created a waiting list for the world’s first body fragrance designed to not just attract people, but their cats too. Why? Because apparently, the cat does have to like you, with a Censuswide study finding that 60 per cent of cat owners wouldn’t date someone their feline didn’t vibe with. Fool or real? We’ll have to wait to see.
Viral Ads
Durex Condom Product Launch
A Facebook page promoting Durex in Manila announced new condom flavours featuring the popular Filipino delicacy pinipig and the pungent tropical fruit durian as an April Fool’s prank. This ad cleverly subverted expectations, leading to widespread sharing (+2500 reshares), as explained by the Emotional Contagion Theory, which believes that emotions can spread from person to person, creating a ripple effect of shared feelings.
Premature Ads
Some ads, despite fooling many, missed the ‘April’ in April Fool’s Day by launching a week early in March. This included Waitrose’s ‘RIP D.I.P’ announcement, Aldi’s ‘death’ of its beloved middle aisle, and Lipton’s apparent discontinuation of their famous peach iced tea flavour. The negative reaction to these premature April Fools’ jokes is best explained by the Expectancy Violations Theory, which suggests that when people’s expectations aren’t met, it leads to negative responses, and in this case, launching the campaigns a week early deviated from consumers’ expectations of brands participating on April 1st.
Incentivised Ads
Unlike many April Fools’ ads that fall flat due to increasing consumer scepticism, a few ads successfully engaged viewers by providing incentivised or relevant content that motivated them to process the information more deeply, as suggested by the Elaboration Likelihood Model.
Lumon Terminal Pro Launch
Apple’s “Lumon Terminal Pro” April Fool’s prank cleverly mimics a genuine product launch, tapping into the popularity of the hit show “Severance”. By rewarding fans with spoiler BTS content when they attempt to “buy” the retro-style terminal, the campaign fosters deeper engagement and a sense of exclusivity, encouraging them to spend more time exploring the prank vs a standard April Fool’s Day ad.
Brand Collabs
Some brands avoided pranks and humour, instead opting to provide extra value to customers through brand collaborations. Two standout examples are Doughnut Time’s launch of the Vegemite-inspired doughnut and Subway’s partnership with Birds Eye to introduce the highly anticipated “Chip Butty Sub.” While these collaborations are super fun, it does raise the question of whether these campaigns could be just as effective if launched on any other day of the year.
In summary, as scepticism has increased, April Fools’ ads need to be more funny, unexpected or substantive to capture attention and overcome the “yeah, nah” attitude that has perpetrated April Fools marketing.
