The 7 Best April Fool’s Day Pranks of 2019

The first of April can be a headache to digital PR teams around the country. Brands everywhere are pulling out all the stops and trying to upstage their previous year’s campaign, all in the name of publicity.

We did think with fake news in the spotlight that this year might be quieter, and journalist Amelia Tait agreed with her rundown on GQ-magazine.co.uk with “How the news killed April Fool’s Day”. But we were wrong. Nothing has stopped the retail giants and household brands pulling our leg with some top-notch pranks.

Today has seen a softer, tongue-in-cheek approach with more obvious ‘April Fool’s Day’ labels though. Here are our seven favourite jokes we’ve seen in the press today…

1. Honda’s polite horn

We are renowned for being a socially awkward and polite nation, so Honda Canada’s ‘Polite Horn’ release this morning could be easily believed by the Brits! The car manufacturer announced a revolutionary and “bold new way to bring decorum to our roads”.

2. Yorkshire Tea’s spreadable tea

The British tea giant played fun on our nation’s addiction to a cuppa, suggesting it was going to introduce a thicker spreadable version. It takes a whole new meaning to tea and toast!

{Image Credit: @YorkshireTea/Twitter}

3. Sainsbury’s trolley trainers

Catching the fitness fanatics amongst us, Sainsbury’s prank was the introduction of a trolley trainer – claiming to be ‘Gainsbury’s’. Helping you to count the calories and work out while you shop sounds like a great idea. One we wish was actually true!

4. BMW’s lunar paint

BMW reached for the moon with its April Fool’s prank, announcing it is introducing a lunar paint for its i series vehicles that uses “revolutionary photovoltaic technology to harness the power of the moon and passively recharge your battery in the hours of darkness”.

5. Amazon’s Audible for fish

Online retail giant Amazon released research that shows marine life responds to short bursts of audio, so you can get an Audible book for your pet fish when you aren’t around… you’re having a bubble?!

6. Kia’s swiping car

Tapping into millennial digital trends, car manufacturer Kia announced its new Finger Operated Optimum Lever (FOOL!) that allows drivers to control the direction of the car using a swipe left, swipe right function.

7. Google Maps’ snake celebration

… And if you don’t want to be taken for a fool, in classic Google April Fool’s tradition, the search engine has opted for a celebration rather than a prank. It introduced a snake game in Google Maps, which users can access in the top left corner of the Google Maps app. Google reported it will be around on iOS and Android devices for a week from today. We know what we will be playing at lunch then!

What April Fool’s campaign has got you talking today? Have you fallen for any? Tweet us at @Honcho_Search or let us know in the comments below.