Rad-Vertising: Marketing’s Best April Fools’ Day Pranks

Do prank ads work? They do on April Fool’s Day. In this installment of RAD-vertising, we pay tribute to some of our favorite April Fool’s Day ad pranks.

machu picchu

Copywriters! Everyone else! Have you heard about Selfie Shoes by Miz Mooz? You slot your phone into an opening in the toe of one shoe, then extend your leg so you can snap the perfect selfie — hands free. If you don’t believe me, watch this video …

April Fools! If you work in marketing, you know the end of March heralds a brief Silly Season, as digital, advertising, and social agencies compete to out-do one another with funny fake products, tweets, mock websites, and videos in time for April Fools’ Day. Some, like strategy company Spark Growth ‘s fictional Selfie Shoes, are simply ingenious.

Whatever Happened to Clippy?

For instance, remember when Microsoft pretended to bring back Clippy the hyper-annnoying paperclip who’d interrupt your MS Office document to offer useless advice? Or Starbucks’ bucket-sized “Plenta” coffee cup? How about LuluLemon’s  laughably inappropriate “Spray-On” Yoga Pants? “The pants that Spray On, Stay On.”

As today’s Silly Season gets underway, Rad-Vertising is recalling the genius of past copywriters and creative directors turned pranksters. (Cue fuzzy flashback effect) Remember when …

Photos Are More Fun with The Hoff

Last year, Google introduced an app so you could photo-bomb any pic with a celebrity – like David Hasselhoff.

thehoff_googleblogspot

Courtesy: Google Blogspot

Eyeglass maker Warby Parker unveiled its specs line for dogs, Warby Barker, with a dog-lovers’ dream of a commercial.

Frankly, we’re still waiting for Domino’s to come through with their edible pizza box. Come on, Domino’s! How difficult can it be to whip up edible cardboard?

Jackie Potts

Jackie Potts

An astute forecaster of trends and demographics, Jackie’s traffic-generating online pieces have drawn millions of hits. Jackie honed her snappy and sophisticated writing style as a news and entertainment reporter for The Miami Herald, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and Entertainment Tonight (online). Her voice is strong and subtle. She’s authored first-person blogs for celebrities, and interviewed Forbes 100 CEOs. She’s experienced in entertainment, fashion, and health writing, and has a passion for finance and investing. Jackie resides in Los Angeles.

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