April Fool's: Russian mega-yacht discounts, chicken-flavoured Chuckles and more

Lauren HartzenbergBy Lauren Hartzenberg
4 Apr 2022
The annual custom of April Fool's Day sees the setting aside of one day each year, 1 April, for people to play harmless pranks on each other. Over the years, brands have made a point to partake in the fun with attempts to dupe the public into falling for fake product launches and bogus business developments, all in the name of a little light-hearted marketing and (hopefully) customer engagement.

Love or hate the tradition, here’s a round-up of interesting pranks concocted by retail brands this year.

Woolworths

Woolies announced the launch of a rather unsavoury new snack, combining two of its most popular products to create Rotisserie Chicken-flavoured Chuckles.

“We’re excited to announce our newest Chuckles creation – Rotisserie Chicken-flavoured Chuckles! Think malt balls infused with delectable rotisserie chicken flavour, enrobed in rich, creamy milk chocolate. Slightly savoury, complemented by deliciously sweet… It’s a winner!”

The post was later edited to say “ONLY JOKING! Our Chuckles Rotisserie chicken flavoured malted puffs in milk chocolate were just an idea to make you smile.”

OneDayOnly

OneDayOnly’s April Fool’s gag saw the online daily deals retailer advertising a 140m-long ‘Oligarch’s Megayacht’ for R10m, priced down from R100m. The prank was a clever reference to Russian oligarchs – rich business people who rapidly accumulated wealth in the 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union – who are being sanctioned and are losing their fortunes due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Source: Supplied
Source: Supplied

The ad read, “It’s 140 [metres] long and jam packed with the kind of luxuries only Autocrats can dream of. If you’re not welcome in Europe, no problem, with a range of 7000 miles you can sail the world with 40 of your closest Oligarch Mates in this floating resort. You could even sail it from The Crimea to South Africa where you’d be sure to get a warm welcome from your old Comrades.

“You could even host them for a ‘not an invasion or a war at all’ party (BOYB). The mini submarine (and especially the 4 tenders) will be sure to get your guests excited. Think how amazed they’ll be when you turn the dance floor into a (fire)pool with one touch of a gold-plated button.

“Available for collection in Marina di Carrara in northern Tuscany (if you can find a morally-ambivalent crew).”

The prank was for a good cause, however, as shoppers were encouraged to support the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine by making a financial donation to disaster relief NGO Gift of the Givers. Those looking to donate had the option of donating R50, R100, R200 or R600.

“This is a gag deal in celebration of April Fool's Day. Instead, by purchasing this deal, you will be making a donation to a good cause,” the ad stated.

Game

Massmart retailer Game took to its social media platforms on Friday urging followers to swipe (Instagram), drag (Facebook) and tweet (Twitter) only to be presented with the South African ‘twah’ hand gesture - also called the ‘finger purse’ or ‘sousies’ depending on what area or culture you’re from.

“Game’s got something for you…” began the post on Instagram. “Swipe to reveal something special,” the caption continued.

The retailer said it partnered with comedians to design the prank, and the #GameGotYou hashtag used for the prank was a play on the brand’s pay-off line ‘Game’s Got You’.

Fairview

Wine farm and cheese manufacturer Fairview jokingly revealed a new cannabis-infused camembert called ‘Muncheese’ rich in both CBD and THC, it announced on Facebook.

“After attaining a grower’s license from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) at the back end of 2021, Fairview prepared and planted a 2ha field with cannabis sativa. The majority of the yield was to be exported and utilized in the production of various medicinal marijuana products. Enter the Fairview goat herd…

“Early one morning the herd of milking goats escaped from their paddock and made their way to the hidden cannabis plantation. They grazed excessively and within a few hours, the once thriving 2ha cannabis field, had essentially disappeared!" Fairview quipped.

Source: Supplied
Source: Supplied

It said that side effects of consuming the cheese included lowered pain, lowered anxiety, increased sense of humour and colourful hallucinations. “As luck would have it, a loophole in the legislation governing dairy production allows Fairview to produce products from the cannabis-infused goats’ milk!”

Oros

Beverage brand Oros shared on Friday that it was expanding in the breakfast category with the launch of Oros-flavoured flakes.

“OH OH OH Yes! We know, you’ve been asking us for a while now and we’re about to deliver. Now available at your nearest retailer. Sheshisa mngani, stock is limited! #OrosFindTheFun #JustAddFun #OrosJustAddFun,” the brand said in a Twitter post.

In a follow-up post the next day Oros said announced, “Happy April Fool's Day OROS famo! You guessed it. Thank you for adding even more fun! We loved seeing so much passion from the famo!”

Pizza Hut

Quick-service restaurant franchise Pizza Hut South Africa debuted pizza deliveries via jetpack.

“Keep an eye on the sky, pizza fans! You asked and we listened! Your favourite #PizzaHut pizza now has a jetpack delivery option! Order online at http://pizzahut.co.za or on our app! #NowThatsDelivering,” the brand announced on Twitter.

Brands abroad

Retailers and brands abroad also shared in on the April Fool’s pranks this year. Take a look at some of the hoaxes below.

About Lauren Hartzenberg

Managing editor and retail editor at Bizcommunity.com. Cape Town apologist. Dog mom. Get in touch: lauren@bizcommunity.com
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