Few marketing opportunities are more hit and miss than April Fools’ Day. For a day that is supposed to be all fun and games, there are always some that take it a step too far.
Over the past few years, the practice has become common amongst corporate entities. Many see it as a way to help their brand appear more light-hearted – enabled by the advent of specialist campaign tools, like CRM software.
But there have also been countless pranks which have ended up with truly disastrous consequences for businesses.
Still, with every marketing manager’s nightmare comes a learning opportunity for us all.
If your small business is planning to take part in the event this year, read on for a list of the most awkward, career-ending April Fools mistakes that blossomed from an innocent idea, into a global controversy:
The Volkswagen Goof
If the global emissions-cheating scandal wasn’t enough to make it proceed with caution, Volkswagen (VW) announced last year that it would be changing its name to “Voltswagen” to promote a new line of electric cars.
Later, the famous car brand revealed that…
