Founders : Here is a challenge.
Don’t come up with ‘X has been acquired by’ or ‘ X acquires Y’ sort of april fool prank. They are extremely boring and predictable.
Similarly, ‘X launches Y’ has become too predictable and boring.
happy internet corporate shitposting day. please get it out of your system.
— joshua schachter (@joshu) April 1, 2019
Here is a challenge to all ye geeks, product managers and founders
Try embedding the joke in your product and see if your users can actually find out (and if it goes viral).
It will serve multiple purpose:
1. Beyond investor pitch, you will actually find out if your product is used the way you’d like it to.
There is no better way to gauge engagement – imagine embedding the joke/prank on your homescreen and well, nobody gets it.
That’s a serious issue (and the joke is on you)!
2. Ignite Imagination
Are you able to ignite your user’s imagination with the prank? Many of Google’s April fool joke actually did.
Note: If it doesn’t ignite imagination of geeks and your users – frankly, the joke is on your capability (of execution).
After all, when Google says you can play PacMan on Google maps, people actually believed it !
3. If at all you are coming up with crazy PR ideas, it might force your team (or the ecosystem around your product) to think in random directions and execute on these crazy ideas (after April 1st).
Time and again, many of the April fool pranks by Google/Facebook has been brought to reality by geeks.
You can use this occasion for feature testing / inspiring your tech team to think beyond release cycle.
Whatever you do, don’t do a PR. It just shows that you don’t have a real engaged audience.
In fact, here is a cheat sheet: if your team is not agreeing on a lofty feature you think will do wonders to the product, announce it as April fool prank. And gauge the reaction.
