People in several countries around the world are very familiar with April Fool’s Day. If you’re not aware of this “holiday”, you may want to get out from under that rock. Basically, this is a day people around the world play practical jokes on each other. Now, what happens when a company pranks its consumers? Hilarity ensues, but not for everyone. As a blogger on Adages points out, marketers can’t assume that every customer has a “funny bone.” Recently, Proctor and Gamble released an advertisement on their Facebook page, announcing that it was coming out with a new bacon flavoured Scope mouthwash.
To many consumers’ dismay, the company soon revealed that it had been merely a joke. To be honest, who honestly thought that was real?! Clearly, a lot more people than P&G expected. Several people stated that they had already gone to the store to buy the new product, only to be disappointed that there wasn’t any to be found. Others “unliked” the Facebook page and criticised them, taking it as far as to say that they will never buy another P&G product again. However, this statement is almost impossible, as the customer will probably find himself using his toothpaste (Crest), shampoo (Head and Shoulders), and detergent (Tide), only to find out that they are all owned by Proctor and Gamble. Quite unlikely, I must say, as its brands dominate many of their respective markets.

Personally, I found this advertising scheme to be hilarious, and it even showed that the brand itself had some personality. These angry consumers’ responses honestly made me laugh, too. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if P&G’s PR and marketing sectors will attempt to handle this, or if they’ll just laugh it off along with me (and all the other rational customers).