When is a free luxury trip not what it seems? When it’s a brand’s April Fool’s Day prank
As a man who lists lie-ins at the top of his hobby list, Dr Mumbo was thrilled when he saw that the travel agent Zuji Singapore was looking for a ‘Bed tester’.
In what was clearly a very well-thought through idea, the online company put out an open call for applicants, promising business class flights across the world – the only stipulation being the participants had to test the beds of every hotel they stayed in.
Anyone want to test this bed? Well you should be so lucky, says Zuji
Given that any sensible marketer knows toying with customer expectations is never a good idea, Dr Mumbo fully expected the offer to be completely legitimate. And as such, he was first in the queue to apply.
Alas how his hopes were dashed when he received an email yesterday from Zuji gleefully declaring that the entire escapade was a hilarious April Fool’s Day joke.
As you can imagine, Dr Mumbo was rolling around the floor with laughter. And he is certain the customers, whose expectations Zuji so happily raised, will see the funny side of it too. What a fantastic creative conceit, definitely not a public relations own goal in any sense.
But for those unreasonable people who didn’t appreciate the joke, they can be consoled with the knowledge that Zuji will offer those who applied a “range of vouchers, and potentially a complimentary night stay in Singapore”. Or will they? Is it just another zenith like comedic moment from those jovial jokers at Zuji?
Dr M needs to sleep on it. Night night.
It might not be a particularly funny April fools joke but I’d rather a world in which it existed than the sour, cynical world Dr Mumbo seems to live in.
It’s obvious you don’t like April Fools Day judging from your other pieces dripping with cyncism and negativity but get over yourself.
It’s rarely going to impact a brands image and from my experience it’s a bit of an opportunity for some of the juniors to have a bit of fun coming up with and executing a concept.
Not everything needs to be a $10m campaign waiting to be ripped apart.
Dr Mumbo sounds like a washed out marketing professional sitting on the front porch waving a stick and yelling at the kids to get off the lawn.
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