Mastering the art of April Fools comes from nailing something that sits right on the edge of reality. Posts that are “out there” enough to garner engagement, but not so far fetched that people think it’s not possible. Yomconnect was super excited about our April Fools’ client results – particularly with two of our Retail Food Group owned brands, Donut King and Brumby’s.


Introducing stage left!
Donut King’s Chicken Salt Cinnis and Brumbys Fairy Bread Loaf
And the secret sauce (or secret salt and sprinkle!) is based around the fact that both of these April Fools’ ideas were ultimately ideas which many of the brands’ audiences loved and actually wanted to see become a reality! Tick number two in how to nail April Fools’ Day on social media.
Just about every brand with a social media platform will have participated in April Fools’ Day, putting together a post with the goal of tricking their audience. Most people are aware of this, and are prepared for it. So when they see a post on April 1st that is out of the ordinary or slightly off centre, they immediately assume it is an April Fools’ joke.
So how then, can an April Fools’ post still be engaging? We managed to find a formula that worked.
Donut King garnered lots of attention with their April Fools’, going so far as to appear on a 7 News segment specifically about stand out April Fools campaigns. Their “introduction” of the Chicken Salt Cinni initially raised eyebrows for its unlikely combination of two beloved foods – cinnamon donuts and chicken salt. While it was quite obviously a joke, with the words April Fools appearing on the image in the post, it managed to get people asking whether the product would actually be enjoyable if it did exist. Conversation is often one of the best forms of engagement.
Brumby’s also had success with the Fairy Bread Loaf. It was also featured in an article on The Slice highlighting the top 15 Australian April Fools’ Day campaigns. Where Brumby’s found success was with the fact that their fake product was actually very appealing, leading their audience into wishing that it did indeed exist. While most knew it was fake (100s and 1000s would definitely have melted into a colourful mess when baked), many hoped it could be real, and couldn’t help spreading the word around this tasty idea.
Having success with an April Fools’ campaign can be a great way to put your brand’s name into people’s mouths, whether it is out of shock or delight. And the end of the day it is all a bit of a laugh and a great way to drive engagement on organic social channels