With April Fools’ Day right around the corner, you’re bound to see a barrage of posts from Buzzfeed, Mashable, and other blogs boasting all the businesses jumping in on the fun. April Fools’ Day allows brands to let their hair down and engage with their consumers in hilarious ways.

But companies shouldn’t just create a prank for the sake of participating. Even something as light-hearted as an April Fools’ prank should further your business’s brand and mission.

To help inspire your mischievous mayhem, we’ve compiled our top ten favorite April Fools’ Day pranks that brands have used to promote and sell their products and services.

1. Esurance’s “Presurance”

Car insurance is all about protecting yourself after an accident. But what about preventing the accident altogether? That’s the premise of Esurance’s April Fools’ prank in which the company launched “Presurance,” a new technology to predict accidents that may occur in the future.

What Marketers Can Take Away: If you can tie your prank into the tone and voice of your brand that’s one thing, but if you can also use it as a way to push your company’s value (i.e., no one can predict accidents, so that’s why we sell car insurance), then you’re doing it right.

2. Analog Watch Company Debuts “Ant Watch”

In an age where smart watches are now commonplace, the timeless analog watch must keep up if they hope to cling onto that timeless-ness. In response, Analog Watch Company showed off a new line of “Ant Watches,” which essentially store miniature ant farms right in your wristwatch.

No fancy software, no pedometer or GPS—no digital at all. Just tiny critters crawling around your wrist.

What Marketers Can Takeaway: Analog Watch Company clearly knew smart watches like Apple Watch were hogging much of the public conversation around trending watches. The company’s ironic cheek is a smart way to turn the eyes back onto the analog watches.

3. Smartbox by Google

When it comes to April Fools’ Day pranks, few do it better than Google. To promote its latest email service “Inbox,” Google ran this video promoting a rather archaic service: a mailbox (but smarter).

What Marketers Can Takeaway: While Google created this video for April Fools’ Day, this is just a good promotional video for the company’s service—period. The video clearly illustrates the benefits of Inbox in a fun and funny way, keeping you engaged the entire time.

4. Putting a “U” in Qantas

To make up for years of spelling errors from passengers worldwide, the Australian airline company, Qantas, changed the spelling of its name to include a “U.”

What Marketers Can Takeaway: To make light of passengers constantly spelling the airline’s name wrong, Qantas played along with the prevalent misspelling of its brand. This clever prank works because it announced loudly the issue, which in turn helped to finally put the common spelling error to bed.

5. Tic Tac’s Shakeless Mints

Tic Tac went to Twitter to announce a new product, “Tic Tac Shakeless.” Insulated with bubble wrap, the new packaging prevents the Tic Tacs from making noise so that the consumer won’t be pressured to share with family and friends.

Fans went crazy over the idea and could easily relate. Wayne A. Walls tweeted, “@TicTacUSA I could seriously use this. I was at a golf tournament this past weekend and had to walk very slowly sometimes!”

What Marketers Can Takeaway: This campaign works for two reasons. First, it calls attention to how delicious Tic Tacs are—so good your friends and family are apparently hounding you to share every time they hear the rattle of your Tic Tacs. Second, the campaign pokes fun at the product’s infamous rattle. The noise is so recognizable, just the shake alone cues the average person that a box of Tic Tacs are in the vicinity.

6. SunLife Launches “Beard Insurance”

The trend of growing out your beard has become quite ubiquitous, and in turn the men growing and grooming these beards have become inexplicably proud of their achievements.

In response, SunLife launched “Beard Insurance” for men who want to protect their facial hair and the personal identity that comes with a beard.

What Marketers Can Takeaway: Among its services, SunLife sells life insurance, which is something young people don’t traditionally purchase. However, young men are also the ones jumping on the beard trend, which means SunLife’s humorous spoof will spark attention among an audience the company can’t easily reach.

7. TOMS Debuts the ActGIVEity Tracker          

TOMS, the shoe company, is known far and wide for its unique business model: For every pair of shoes you purchase from TOMS, the company gives a pair to someone in need of shoes.

In that same vein, TOMS “launched” the ActGIVEity Tracker, a FitBit-lookalike device that tracks your level of giving throughout the day and compares you against your friends.

What Marketers Can Takeaway: TOMS has differentiated itself in the marketplace for its philanthropic stance. The April Fools’ Day prank falls right in line with the company’s brand, mission, and values.

8. Taco Bell Purchases the Liberty Bell

Taco Bell released a statement just before April 1 announcing the acquisition of the Liberty Bell. The purchase, according to the statement, was an effort to reduce the country’s debt. The newly purchased historical icon would be renamed Taco Liberty Bell.

The statement was published with no hint of a wink, and the public reacted vehemently. When it was revealed the statement was a prank, people relaxed knowing the their country’s history would remain unsullied by the makers of “Fourth Meal.”

What Marketers Can Takeaway: In the fast-food market, awareness is everything, and sometimes it’s okay to stir the pot. Taco Bell’s prank got people talking—yelling even. But Taco Bell received a lot of free press for something that cost next to nothing to produce.

9. Warby Parker Releases a New Line for Dogs

The trend-setting Warby Parker unveiled a new line of glasses marketed exclusively to dogs. The aptly named “Warby Barker” would provide fashionable frames for any dog looking to stand out from the pack.

What Marketers Can Takeaway: You’re allowed to poke fun at yourself. Warby Parker knows its company is seen as the “hipster” brand. Its dog line of glasses is a humble way of showing off the company’s light-hearted brand.

10. BMW Unloads a Pick-Up Truck

If BMW is known for anything, it’s certainly not as a truck maker. But in 2011, the German car company revealed its sleek and sophisticated pick-up.

What Marketers Can Takeaway: This prank further cements BWM’s brand not by showcasing its line of luxury vehicals proudly but by presenting that exact opposite. This prank works because the German brand is so well known as a luxury car manufacturer. Sometimes a way to play up your strengths is by contrasting them completely.

Share Your Favorite Pranks

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