April Fools' Pranks: A Risky Marketing Tactic for Brands

April Fools' Day pranks can help brands show their fun side, but risk offending people or backfiring if done poorly, as evidenced by Tesla and Volkswagen.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted about the company going bankrupt as an April Fools' joke in 2018, causing stock to drop 7%.

Volkswagen falsely claimed in 2021 it was changing its name to "Voltswagen"; officials gave conflicting stories until admitting it was a prank.

Taco Bell's 1996 prank about buying the Liberty Bell generated $25 million in publicity; company donated $50,000 to its preservation after admitting hoax.

Google had to disable its "Mic Drop" email feature in 2016 after a bug caused it to be unintentionally added to emails.