This list was supposed to be a ‘best and worst’, but alas, this year’s slew of April Fool’s PR stunts are particularly dire.
Has there ever been a good April Fools PR prank? 2021’s crop is evidence that there hasn’t.
Scroll through at your peril for this year’s round up.
South Australian Tourism’s “Go Down South With Your Mouth”
Reviving the Nothern Territory’s (in)famous “C U in the NT” campaign (that was promptly banned), South Australia’s food, produce and wine industries have devised a rather cheeky slogan – clearly for April 1 – that reads: “Go down south with your mouth.”
It even comes with a pretty high production TVC that does its best to mock traditional travel ads.
“There’s a time to breathe and feel the crisp air down here. There’s a time to let our abundant delights burst in our mouth,” the voiceover exudes.
“There’s a time to bask in Australian bush, native to our southern lands. There’s a time to discover new zest for life, to explore our hidden delights. It’s time to go down south with your mouth.”
Lipton’s Self-Jiggling Tea Bag
Lipton’s shot at April Fools glory is a ‘self-jiggling’ tea bag, reportedly developed after ‘years of testing and collaboration with the brightest automation engineers in Chippendale’.
The tea brand believes the invention will specifically appeal to Millenials (though it’s unclear why given they’ve spent all their money on avocado toast), as you can now “self-drive your Tesla with a self-jiggling tea to match.”
Monica Reyes, Marketing Manager ANZ and Managed Geographies commented “I’m a little confused by the idea, but what the hell! The world could do with some light-hearted fun.”
And there’s even a video to boot.
Nando’s Finger Gloves
To make eating your Peri-Peri chicken THAT much easier, without fear of finger dust, Nando’s released finger gloves.
Chicken fans responded positively to the prank according to Nando’s, leaving comments on their social media like:
- IDGAF about April Fool’s, I need this for every day eating!’
- ‘I know this is April Fool’s but lowkey… not a bad idea’
- ‘Look at this technological marvel! I’ll be ordering them for home use too’
LEGO Dan Andrews
The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre’s attempt at humour is a life size LEGO replica of Dan Andrews, Victoria’s Premier.
According to the release, LEGO play centre’s Master Model Builder, Kieran Jiwa, said: “I’ll keep this brief – essentially the plan is to design, create and build a LEGO reproduction of the Premier to display in our MINILAND Melbourne exhibit as a way to extend our thanks and our gratitude for his tireless work over the last year.”
“The project will be a massive task for our team but we’re all in this together and plan to unveil the model within three months.”
Here’s a mock-up of the lego Dan Andrews – warning, it’s quite scary.
No word on whether ‘Get On The Beers‘ will be playing at the exhibit…
Sportsbet’s “sleeveless” NRL Orgin jerseys
The wags from Sportsbet have decided to stir the infamous NRL-AFL debate after realising Origin jerseys that look remarkably similar to those worn by AFL players.
Sportsbet noted: “While the controversial new designs are sure to rankle the most ardent rugby league traditionalists, the Australian Rules-inspired cut pays homage to Victoria’s resilience through 2020, which ended with the Melbourne Storm lifting the NRL Premiership despite being forced to play all their home games on the Sunshine Coast.”
Even star players were in on the gag.
“They’re actually really comfortable and also look great. I think the fans will love them,” said Storm fullback and Blues hopeful Papenhuyzen.
“Might need to spend a few more days on the bicep curls before Game One, though!”
Madame Tussaud’s Karen Figurine
More scary figurine madness (who would’ve thought that would be one of our 2021 trends?) as Madame Tussauds Sydney releases a wax ‘Karen’ figurine.
“Karen is here to stay,” says Mikayla McGlone, Studios and Figure team member at Madame Tussauds Sydney, “So we thought we’d have some fun and create the first ever wax figure of Karen at Madame Tussauds Sydney.
“Karen will be complete with the signature asymmetrical bob and highlights, she’ll have acrylic nails and over-sized sunnies, but what will really bring Karen to life will be that she’s a talking figure and we’re calling on the public to help us select what she’ll say.”
Madame Tussauds is offering anyone name Karen free entry between 1st April and 4th April.
SEA LIFE Melbourne Offers Underwater Dining
SEA LIFE aquarium in Melbourne has announced “the ultimate multi-sensory experience” – dining fully submerged in a 2.2 million litre Oceanarium.
A great prank for anyone keen to share their spaghetti with a great white Lady And The Tramp style.
Contiki Announces Space X Partnership
It’s unclear how Elon Musk feels about this particular April fools prank as Contiki has announced ContikiX: Affordable space travel developed exclusively for 18-35 year olds.
“Due to the pandemic and questionable state of the planet, I think a lot of people are over Earth at the moment and are looking for an escape,” says Katrina Barry, Managing Director for Contiki.
“Which is why can’t wait to offer this once-in-a-lifetime experience to our guests in the future, and to be among the first humans to orbit Earth!”
Whether they’ve also invented gravity-defying tequila slammers is as yet unconfirmed.
The ME Bucksuit
Despite there having literally just been a Royal Commission into misconduct by banks, ME Money Experts thought an ‘anti-laundering’ Bucksuit was a good idea.
According to their release, the Bucksuit features:
- Built-in sleeve pockets to house bank cards and digital wallets, so you can tap and go with ease.
- Hip pockets have been removed for a svelte cashless look – who carries cash these days anyway?
- A budget-tightening hoody drawstring for tunnel vision when you need to block out unnecessary spending
“The Bucksuit is a modern twist on the humble tracksuit − Australia’s official uniform over the past 12 months − combining comfort with financial savviness to give you an undeniable look of financial confidence,” said ME Money Expert, Matthew Read.
“ME’s Bucksuit will take the sweat out of banking and give customers extra street cred-it.”
A ‘Legale Note’ at the bottom of the release reads: ‘ME will not be held liable for any bad spending decisions that happen while wearing Bucksuits. ME-rino is in fact completely…fabricated…and is instead just regular wool.”
‘Inactive wear has been known to cause the following side-effects – lethargy, Netflix binging and faking excuses to get out of social activities. Bucksuits are actually 100 per cent fake, unless you like them, then they aren’t.’
Subway’s Coriander Cookies And Garlic-less Garlic Bread
A delicious meal for anyone with no sense of taste comes not one, but two bad Subway gags!
First we have the garlic-less garlic bread. Which is, according to Domino’s, a response to the “growing ‘knead’ for uncomplicated food options’.
Despite peaking early with that terrible pun, the press release continues.
“Covid has kept us physically distanced, but garlic breath could further prolong our social isolation if we’re not careful,” said Domino’s ANZ CEO Nick Knight.
“Once it’s safe to be together again, Domino’s bread will remove the risk of any awkward, potentially date night-destroying, garlic breath encounters, while still satisfying the need for comforting carbs and human contact.”
According to their Instagram, they have also announced a likely polarising coriander cookie.
Deliveroo Pet Treats
Deliveroo has announced that, on April 1st only, they will be using ‘brand-new in-app technology’ allowing Aussie pets to treat their owners to takeaway.
This one is actually quite good, to be fair.
According to the release, “all owners need to do is pre-programme their favourite dish on the Deliveroo app and with the simple ‘paw’ of a button, their pets can place an order as a way of saying ‘thank you’.”
“Aussies and their pets can head to @Deliveroo_AU on Instagram to learn how they can get their hands on a Deliveroo Treats button NOW!”
Rent Pure Tasmanian Air
Appliance retailer Snaffle is offering Aussies the chance to rent a bottle of pure Tasmanian air.
In a PR campaign that, shockingly, doesn’t seem to have been sponsored by the Tasmanian Tourism Board, Snaffle said that:
“After extensive research, the team at Snaffle concluded that Tasmania boasted the cleanest air in Australia compared to Sydney or Melbourne’s traffic-clogged and light-polluted streets.”
Krispy Kreme releases its glaze in jar form
The fabled donut maker even got in on the April 1 action, releasing a version of its famous glaze in jar form.
Although a little light on details, the stunt claimed in an Instagram post: “Original Glazed spread is HERE! We’ve taken iconic Original Glaze to the next level. Dip, spread or eat it by the spoon full – We’re not judging! Available at all Krispy Kreme stores.”
Floraly Allows Customers To ‘Send Disdain’
Now this one is also quite good. Floraly has extended their repertoire beyond mini Christmas trees and Galentine’s Bouquet to include sending disdain in a delightful gift of shrivelled petals.
“Many people want to communicate in the language of flowers. However, we found that there wasn’t a way to tell people what you really think of them. With this new idea, not only are we giving the flowers a second home, we’re letting people communicate all their feelings with flowers,” said CEO Tristan Sender.
The flower-delivery company is also offering mixed bunches, a couple of dead daisies or roses amongst the bright living peonies or proteas. “It’s complicated” can now be embodied in a bouquet. Emotions are messy, and Floraly understands that.
Chobani Yoghurt Face-Masks
Frankly, these sound like something that people might actually want to buy.
Chobani’s crack at the April Fools line up is a chilled face mask range made with their Greek yoghurt.
The range would include a Chobani Anti-Aging Face Mask with rich antioxidants from real blueberries, Chobani Hydrating Face Mask enriched with moisture from real coconuts and a Chobani Brightening Face Mask bursting with Vitamin C from real tropical fruit.
“There’s been a real trend towards natural skincare in recent years which has led people to create treatments such as face masks at home, using regular household staples including Greek yogurt. This inspired us to have a bit of fun with the trend and come up with the idea of Chobani’s own face mask range as an April Fool’s joke. Hopefully, we’ve sparked a few smiles today!” said Damian Young, General Marketing Manager, Chobani Australia
And, Finally, Paper Perfume.
Global digital reading retailer, Rakuten Kobo, revealed a limited-edition fragrance that smells of paper. That actually sounds quite nice, to be honest.
The scent is called Kobo Papier, and it “allows Aussies to add the scent of ‘classic fiction’ to their fragrance library”.
According to the release, “Specially formulated to appeal to bookworms worldwide, Kobo has done the unthinkable but most desirable; bottling up the comforting scent of books and paper into a wearable fragrance. Kobo Papier is inspired by lignin, the naturally occurring organic compound that gives wood-based paper its characteristic aroma—so booklovers can enjoy the simplicity, ease and convenience of digital reading without giving up on that beloved old book experience.”
“Bursting with top notes of musty aged paper, alongside a deeper scent of sweet ink with a dash of tasteful potpourri and a sprinkling of violets, Kobo Papier will leave the reader with the essence of well-thumbed books and literature.”
If you made it through all of those releases, go and treat yourself to a Subway coriander cookie and start mentally preparing for next year’s April Fools pranks.
