What can April Fool’s posts tell you about a brand?

With the Easter break it’s been a slightly quieter-than-usual time in the world of Digital Marketing, so this week’s newsletter is perhaps slightly heavier on opinion than usual; but nevertheless, with April Fool’s gags taking over the internet earlier this week, they’re worth taking a look at.

Otherwise the chief of Instagram has proclaimed that you shouldn’t judge an account by its follower count, while there’s big news coming from Google and a potential premium tier for consumers.

Musings on April Fool’s on Social

I’ve always found April Fool’s Day more fascinating as an external observer than as a participant. Which probably says more about me than anything else. But, regardless, I find it to be an interesting indicator of a brand’s approach to social media. You generally end up with three different approaches.

The all-in, full-send approach: This is generally an indicator of a brand that gives its marketing team room for creative manoeuvre. It isn’t a surprise to see a brand such as Gymbox, which is known for its cheeky and fun marketing, fully commit to an idea such as Gymbark – something which might make other brands nervous given the similarity of the name to another brand.
The weak, content calendar fulfilling approach: Every Social Media manager who has worked agency side has had to do one of these. This is a brand where you don’t actually have that much to say, so international dates and celebrations become a core editorial pillar of the calendar, and as such the April Fool’s post is a mandatory staple. Only, because the brand is nervous and doesn’t have much to say, the actual execution itself often resembles something akin to treading on Eggshells. I value my professional network too much here to name names, but we’ve all seen these.
The Do Nothing approach: Also known as the most sensible and cost-effective approach. These brands often do have something to say, but would rather avoid something as trivial as April Fools. Or, they have no ££.

My own view on it and whether marketers should engage is simple; if you have a great idea, then by all means. If you feel like your idea is a little cringe or one that you’re not proud to present, then you probably already know the answer.

Follower count doesn’t equal value (who knew)

If you’re reading this, then you probably already know that just because Brand X or Person Y has 100,000 followers, that doesn’t necessarily make them the real deal. I’ve been asked by multiple clients over the years how they can juice the numbers, something which in my own view is borderline (or maybe even actual) fraud, depending on the circumstances.

Anyway – a constant challenge when I’ve been asked this question has been something along the lines of what’s the harm, or why not (partly why the F word comes out). Interestingly however Instagram’s own chief Adam Mosseri has said that he doesn’t see the value in follower counts, and that success should be judged on engagement. Like, duh.

I should note that Social Media Today has posted a riposte, making the valid point that follower counts are displayed so prominently that it is somewhat inevitable that the success and validity of an account is judged on them. However, hopefully the fact that the guy who helps run the show says that maybe we should look beyond follower metrics will be useful ammunition the next time your boss asks about how you can boost follower counts.

Musings on April Fool’s on Social

Follower count doesn’t equal value (who knew)

Further Reading