We round up our favourite snippets of ‘fake news’ from this year’s April Fool’s Day.
Coca Cola – ‘Millennial’ Coke
Source: the mirror.co.uk
Coca Cola didn’t disappoint this April Fool’s, announcing three brand new flavours as part of their Zero Sugar range. The new editions; Avocado, Charcoal and Sourdough promised to not only be a tasty and refreshing beverage, but also a sought-after fashion accessory that would spark tons of ‘likes’ on social media. Millennials might love a food trend, but I think I speak on behalf of all of them when I say I’m glad this one is staying firmly in the joke book!
McDonalds – My Big Mac
Source: Joe.co.uk
In the age of selfies galore, McDonalds’ marketing team thought ‘who wouldn’t want their face on a burger?’. So on the 1st April, the global fast food chain launched ‘My Big Mac’, a service which allowed customers to personalise their burger with an image of their choosing.
According to McDonalds’ social media channels, all you had to do was take a selfie using the app or one of their kiosks and the seeds on the burger bun would ‘render’ to create your very own personalised Big Mac. And of course, no campaign would be complete without a social media plugin so customers could share their masterpiece!
Heinz – Chocolate Mayonnaise
Source: the independent.co.uk
Yet another foodie prank in at number three, with Heinz’s chocolate mayonnaise. Heinz claimed to have been hard at work combining ‘one of the nation’s favourite sauces’ with the finest belgian dark chocolate to create a condiment especially for Easter that could be eaten straight from the jar.
The reception was mixed, with the majority of people seeing right through this ‘predictable’ prank, whilst others were left with the bitter taste of disappointment when they discovered it was in fact a hoax!
Clas Ohlson – Swedish Air
Source: retailsector.co.uk
To celebrate their 100th birthday, Clas Ohlson announced they would be stocking their shelves with an extra special product – a bottle of ‘Swedish air’. For just £1.04, customers could ‘live and breathe like a swede’. Sounds like a bargain to us!
Durex – ‘Put some ooh in your brew.’
Source: thedrum.co.uk
Durex take the biscuit for the best use of word play this year, with their range of sensual teas. Durex claimed their infusions (Lus-tea, Naugh-tea and Flir-tea no less) would improve the drinker’s sex life and add a bit of ‘ooh’ to their daily routine.
Jamie Oliver – 1 Ingredient Cookbook
Source: jamieoliver.com
First came The Naked Chef, then Jamie’s Ministry of Food and then ‘1 Ingredient’ was set to become the latest literary triumph from the successful TV chef Jamie Oliver- or so we were led to believe…
Jamie pranked his fans with a promo video of his latest book featuring a range of recipes using only a single ingredient. These entries included a boiled egg, slice of toast and glass of water. Now that’s one for the Christmas list…or not.
Argos – Eau de Catalogue
Source: @Argos_Online
Last but not least is Argos! They opted for a creative method of increasing customer satisfaction and sales with Eau de Catalogue. The scent diffuser would activate when plugged into a USB port and release the ‘intoxicating scent’ of the catalogue whilst customers shopped online. They even hired famous perfumer ‘Avril Imbecile’ to create the bespoke fragrance. Sounds legit.
