Gotcha

April Fools’ Day is an opportunity for the most gullible of us to be tricked and for the more creative to be amused by our stupidity.

Per usual, a social media April Fools’ Day campaign did not come to mind so I had to do a quick Google search. Luckily, AdWeek returned an article featuring 2015’s best tricks by brands.

The campaign I surveyed was — Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pilsner — a video produced by the company, hosted on YouTube, posted on Pizza Hut’s Facebook page and blog which purports that the pizza company has helped to make a pepperoni flavored beer.

The assumed business goal of the campaign was to improve the brand value of Pizza Hut. The video is a spoof on craft beer culture and may increase the awareness that current customers have regarding the pizza chain, increase current and potential customer’s engagement with the brand online by creating funny, tongue-in-cheek content, and elevating the brand’s perception in the marketplace. Through the creation of innovative content such as this video, Pizza Hut may be elevating its brand image and reach audiences who might find the video entertaining that had not previously been loyal to the brand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgmBnWQj1S0

Measurement regarding customer sentiment could be measured through social listening tools targeted at the brand’s blog, Facebook and YouTube pages. Measuring reach (friends, followers, views etc.) pre and post-campaign could help measure success and well as measuring any changes in level of engagement from users having stronger interaction with the brand after innovative content such as this April Fools’ Video is introduced.