April Fools’ Day PR stunt round-up 2015

By on Wednesday, April 1, 2015

It’s APRIL FOOLS’ DAY.

It’s the day brands tweet something they’ve spent weeks working on (or, alternatively, haphazardly Photoshopped in a few minutes) and then ruin it all anyway by ending it with #AprilFools.

This here is a round-up, in no particular order, of those I and the ladies and gentlePRs of Twittertown have spotted.

Feel free to tweet me @RichLeighPR or email rich at prexamples dot com if I’ve missed any, I’ll be adding to it throughout the day.

Virgin Trains

Tesco

Park Inn by Radisson

Park Inn by Radisson has launched E-scapes – the world’s first ‘virtual holiday’ experience on social media – allowing customers to appear to be on a trip away according to their social channels, whilst actually still at home.

Firebox

Kim Kardashian jelly mould. The picture says it all. Cracking effort.

kim k jelly

Firebox also ‘released’ this in relation to Miss Kardashian’s egotistical boyfriend, Kanye West:

firebox kanye

Aaaaand… this. An ‘internal selfie stick‘: the perfect tool for the more intimate selfie’. Fuck’s sake.

firebox internal selfie

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support has today announced the launch of a brand new fundraising event: the Push A Sprout Up A Mountain With Your Snout challenge. The new event, which is ‘due’ to take place on 1 June 2015, was inspired by Macmillan fundraiser Stuart Kettell, 49, who last year spent four days pushing 22 brussels sprouts to the summit of Mount Snowdon with his nose.

P

Dr Oetker Baking

Mastercard

Mastercard has, in partnership with former England rugby captain, coach and personal hero Martin Johnson (WWHHHHHHYYY JOHNNO, WHYYYYY?), ‘retired’ the PIN number 2003 – as apparently, loads of rugby fans took to using it after England won the World Cup more than *sniff* a decade ago:

ecigarettedirect.co.uk

ecigarettedirect.co.uk has released new Cheese and Onion and Garlic flavours of vape liquid. Voop_CheeseOnion_CutOut Hunter Boots

Hunter announced ‘the original dog boot’ – something I swear I’ve seen before, but nonetheless… APRIL FOOLS!

Domino’s

Domino’s Pizza has unveiled a ‘driverless delivery vehicle’:

Marmite

Rosetta Stone

Language service Rosetta Stone has launched ‘Rosetta Stone for Dogs’, a new course enabling you to learn how to talk to your pooch:

Middlesbrough Football Club

Should Middlesbrough FC win promotion to the Premier League after a six-season absence, the club says it will replicate Mount Rushmore at Saltburn’s Huntcliff, starting with head coach Aitor Karanka (more info here): Aitor-on-Huntcliff Beefeater

Ahhh, the old name change stunt. This time, Beefeater restaurants have rebranded to appeal more to veggies:

Hailo

Although the title of ‘the world’s first piggyback service’ was taken the other day by a South African brand (written up on PRexamples.com here by Don Ferguson), that hasn’t stopped taxi app Hailo doing exactly the same thing:

Pieminster

Pie purveyor Pieminster has launched scented candles:

eMoov

The world’s first robot estate agent, apparently – though some might disagree:

Confused.com

Since launching its Brian the Robot collectible toy, Confused.com says it’s become Wales’ ‘largest toy manufacturer’:

CP&B

It’s milk from elephants: elephant milk and in case you ever wondered, here’s how you milk an elephant (runs off to vomit):

Vauxhall

Rather than get your taxi driver to drop you off at a kebab shop on the way home, Vauxhall has announced this – the kebab cab! Kebab cab PlayStation

Underwater gaming tech – actually the only April Fools’ Day thing I can see trending:

Swizzels

Swizzels have launched the world’s first ultra-violet edible sweets – Parma Ultra Violets:

Parma Ultra Violets 2

Fitness First

Pet Freestyle areas & personal pet coaching sessions – allowing gym goers to work out alongside their pets

DSC_3727-2

Fitbit UK

Bathstore

Unveiling the world’s first reverse toilet with features to help make your time on the loo more productive.  T-Eliot_CustomerSeated_1000x1000

Notonthehighstreet.com / Happy Hatchery

Struggling to think of what type of Easter egg to give this year? Then choose the personalised and fertilised egg this April Fool’s Day, that’s delivered in incubator vans and ready to hatch on Easter Day!NOTHS-AprilFoolActivity-PR Pizza Hut

After ‘years in the making’, the scratch and sniff Pizza Hut menu lets your nose choose your order:

LoveBeetroot.co.uk

It seems you can get every type of chocolate these days and now with beetroot flavour, you really can! 

 Ideal Home Show

The latest in horticultural technology and only available today: The Grow-Your-Own-Home

Costa Coffee

New ground-breaking service that lets customers nod off and have a power nap when they hit an afternoon slump.

BBC

Unveiled their latest job role and position following the turmoil of recent weeks.

Coca-Cola / London Eye / British Space Research Programme

Zero gravity experience that allows individuals to see the famous sights of London in while floating in the air.

april_fool_-_Londo_3251932k

ASOS

The latest in men’s fashion with the clip-on-bun

CBfapvAWQAAwP_2

BLOC Hotels / Bloc Airlines

The world’s first all bed airline traveling from London to New York at £45 each way! (we wish)

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

We all love our feline friends and the CATNAV scheme trains cats to guide blind and partially sighted people:

cat-nav-main

Moorish Smoked Humous / Little Soap Company

From the names of the collaboration you know what’s coming, that’s right it’s a Smoked Humous scented face mask:

moorish-facemask

GEAR COOP

Free organic guaranteed delivery by vegan hippee bikers, sounds too good to be true? Well it is!

organic shopping

Draper Inc

Transporter Screen the latest in projection screen innovation:

Daily Mirror / Smart Energy GB

This morning it was announced that ‘The Office of Estimation’ would install an interim government based on estimates, caused brief panic for those not versed in the April Fools’ Day ways. The stunt was in a bid to ‘highlight the absurdity of the fact that so many of us estimate our energy bills’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=10&v=NPtPaglFvrA

Thanks to Warwick Emanuel’s Nicola Jenkins, Pretty Green’s Lucy Porter, Jessica Hall, Houston PR’s Inderdeep Gill, Jenny B, Anna Addison Associates’ Anna Addison, Ketchum’s Kate Matlock, Citizen PR’s Tom Winterton and all those from brands who’ve tweeted/emailed in – I’ll continue to add credits throughout the day…

(Note, Pocket-lint.com also has a good round-up, of more tech-influenced April Fools’ Day efforts. Hat off to them).

ALL Topical

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