According to a study commissioned by online gaming news and review site casino.org, the states with the highest percentage of April Fools’ Day pranksters are Montana at 37.5%, Rhode Island at 36.4%, and Louisana at 34.8%.
Jump scares are the most popular pranks, with the study finding that over half, 50.7%, of April Fools’ Day participants say that’s the prank they have planned to pull. Food-related pranks are also popular, at 23.1%. Many of the April Fools’ Day pranks we’ve seen this year are food-related, like the Pringles and Olipop Sour Cream and Onion soda or Kraft and Post’s Fruity Pebbles-flavored Mac and Cheese (but they also involve packaging and, hey, that’s kind of our thing).
Besides the theme, pranks differ in where they find humor. Grossing folks out can be effective, but it is the lowest-hanging fruit. For brands, self-deprecating humor can be a chance to show there’s some humanity behind the corporate curtain. An April Fools’ Day prank can also serve as a send-up to the market a brand is in. Of course, being able to layer a prank and make it convincing enough to trick people is peak April Fools’ Day performance.
