Food should be fun. On April Fools’ Day, some food brands let their hair down. Here’s a sample of this year’s stunts.
Walkers: Many Brits believe that Walkers once swapped the colours of its two fan favourites, Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar, back in the mid-‘90s, with groups even claiming they remember a TV advert from Walkers where the two flavours “swapped shirts” at a football match to announce the change. But Walkers has always maintained this switch never happened.
However, on April 1 this year, Walkers is making a big noise about its colour switch – even going so far as to use London billboards to announce the change.
The April Fools’ campaign was created by VCCP; PR agency, Good Relations, and content studio, Girl&Bear; both part of VCCP. Popular meme pages including Made In Poor Taste and Ends Humour have also posted images of what appear to be leaked shots of the new packs.
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Fans of the brand have been reacting to the news on social media, with some rejoicing: “I hope this is real because it makes so much more sense” and “Guys this is the best news ever”. Whereas others have taken a more sceptical approach to the news: “NOOOOO WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT”, “You’ve literally confused the whole of England” and “Wow that feels so weird”.
Mark Orbine, executive creative director at VCCP, stated, “Should salt and vinegar crisp packets be blue or green? What side are you on? We loved playing with this long-standing controversy, we’ve created a campaign that taps into nostalgia and the passion of crisp lovers everywhere this April Fools.”
Vegemite & Doughnut Time: Vegemite has incorporated itself in the past into into cream cheese, which makes sense, and Tim Tams, which doesn’t. But now doughnut brand, Doughnut Time, has launched the Vegemite doughnut, available at Ampol Foodary outlets on April 1.
The VEGEMITE Doughnut blends the B vitamin yeast spread with Doughnut Time’s signature Chocolate Custard Doughnut. It has a rich chocolate icing topped with vibrant red and yellow sprinkles, and is filled with a salted VEGEMITE custard.
“For years, Aussies have been showing us just how versatile Vegemite can be. It’s a staple beyond the breakfast table,” stated Georgia Fink, brand manager at Vegemite.
“We’ve seen it in everything from pasta sauces to pastries. This Doughnut Time collaboration is another fantastic example of that Aussie creativity, bringing our famous flavour to life in a bold new way.”
El Jannah: Australia’s very noisy chicken brand, El Jannah, differentiates itself from supermarket ready-to-eat chickens with its chargrilling. So on April 1, it has launched skin care line, Flame & Glow: El Jannah’s Charcoal Care.
The Flame & Glow collection features products inspired by the brand’s charcoal grill, including a charcoal face mask, hand cream, hair scrub, and toothpaste. Each product incorporates the essence of El Jannah’s famous charcoal, promising a range of benefits from deep cleansing to hydration and added volume for hair.
Lipton: On March 18, Lipton Iced Tea announced globally that it was discontinuing its Peach Iced Tea, citing declining sales.
“We know, it hurts (sorry if we’ve ruined your go-to afternoon chill bev). But don’t worry, the rest of your faves are still here to keep you refreshed. And who knows? Maybe one day. Peach will make a legendary comeback,” the post stated. One day turned out to be just one day later:
“Oops, is it still March? Got my dates mixed up… thought it was April Fools already,” the brand noted.
