Every year on the first day of April, even the stuffiest of brands let their hair down to play pranks on consumers with fake product announcements, sometimes topical, sometimes elaborate-unlike pranks most people play on each other, it is more about getting attention than actually fooling customers. In most instances, April Fools’ Day is an opportunity to keep fans engaged with the brand. Usually, it’s a slam dunk, and even if the prank isn’t a perfect ten, it’s a safe promotional play.

But, what happens when April 1st rolls around in the early days of a global pandemic?

Communications amid a real-time calamity can be uncharted territory for a lot of folks. Some brands, like those still operating as “essential business,” which in much of the US includes restaurants, supermarkets, and some big box stores, April Fools’ Day yucks are the least of their concerns, with the focus being on adapting to the day-to-day circumstances and the well-being of frontline employees very much at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus.