So much of branding comes down to consistency, clarity and professionalism—most of the time. But we couldn’t think of a better example of when to actually break the rules than these great instances of brands cutting loose and having a little fun for April Fools Day. Sometimes it’s important to let your audience know you don’t always take yourself too seriously.
1. Warby Parker
Warby Parker plus Arby’s equals “Warby’s.” This works so well because of the full commitment to the idea—one that no-one in their right mind would think is actually good. Taking the almost-believable “news report” approach just takes it to a whole new level.
2. Planet Fitness
If you only caught the first thirty seconds of this spot from Planet Fitness, you might not recognize anything too out of place—and that’s what we love about it. See how this brand is innovating in the “stationary mobility” space.
3. Honda
Honda gets 90’s nostalgia right—from the roller blades, the flip phone, the slap bracelets — even down to the 4:3 aspect ratio of the video itself. If we wished any of the ads on this list were actually real, it’d probably be this one.
4. WestJet
Clearly poking fun at the fiasco that was the Fyre Festival (more like dumpster fyre, am I right?) back in 2017, WestJet nails the sky-high levels of pretentiousness that turned off so many. We had a great laugh at this tongue-in-cheek misguided marketing attempt.
5. T-Mobile
Just when you think the Sidekick smartshoe couldn’t get any more ridiculous, T-Mobile ups the ante, right to the end of this hilarious almost two minute spot. At first, you might be tempted to think they had made a product you might actually want—then it all falls apart.
6. BWM
Yes, they actually did that. Who would have thought of a reverse April fool’s joke? We love the fresh take, and the risk involved with this concept. Would you have actually tried to get your free car?
We hope you got a chuckle out of at least one of these ads today. They serve as a great reminder of how important your brand character can be in making human connection. And that’s how brand works.
