It’s that time of year again; the pranksters are getting on it, the companies are getting around it and the rest of us are just waiting for it to be over… It’s April Fool’s. Now that the most-famous, non-religious holiday is upon us, let’s take a look back at some of the most famous April Fools pranks of all time. Also, if you’re confused as to where April Fool’s even came from, don’t worry, we’ve got you. Shoutout to all these companies for having us fooled!
Most Famous April Fools Pranks Of All Time
SodaStream’s NanoDrop (2017)
In a very clever marketing campaign, SodaStream caught the attention of everyone on April 1st 2017. The company unearthed global superstar, Paris Hilton, to promote a new product called ‘Nano-Drop’, which is essentially an incredibly hydrating drop of H2O, with 5000x more hydration than regular water. While the ad caught the attention of many, the company also released a follow-up video that showcased the environmental benefits of using soda-stream bottles instead of regular ones. A powerful campaign indeed.
Lexus’ Lane Valet (2017)
It’s a really big shame that this one doesn’t exist. Basically, the ‘Lexus Lane Valet’ is a “semi-autonomous” system that controls vehicles in front you that are going too slow or blocking your way. The system connects to their car and merges them out of the fast lane, so that you can get on with your day with ease. Brilliant.
While we’re on the subject of cars, check out our Holden Commodore chat on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
PlayStation’s Flow (2015)
In 2015, Playstation had us all fooled. Expanding their ‘wearables’ division, the gaming company launched ‘Playstation:Flow’ which was a waterproof set of goggles with wireless earphones that brought underwater game-play into the real world. They used ‘The Last Of Us’ as an example, and showed athletes trialling the hardware in the water. Not gonna lie, for half a second, I was convinced, and then I thought, what happens if I reach the end of the pool? Consider me, April Fooled.
Google’s Nose April Fools Prank (2013)
In 2013, Google offered their users the ability to search for smells. Now, I’m not sure how many people fell for this advertisement, but I must say the video makes a compelling case. Science-fiction is referenced, the Google staff are taking what they’re saying very seriously and they even gave it a beta tag. Honestly, we’d love it if this could happen one day, we seriously would. We can’t help but wonder what the catalyst for something like this would be…
WestJet’s Flyre Festival April Fools Prank (2019)
How could we leave out this one? WestJet took full advantage of the mess that was the Fyre Festival for their April Fools campaign. Essentially, they promoted a music festival that would take place… in the air. Look not going to lie, the concept is ridiculous, but we absolutely love it. Not to mention, the ad does make it look appealing, but I guess that’s exactly what Fyre Festival did. Well played WestJet, well played.
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