April Fools: Volkswagen’s ‘Voltswagen’ Announcement Sees Mixed Results

Ahead of this year’s April Fools’ Day, Volkswagen announced its intentions to rebrand as ‘Voltswagen’ in the United States as a nod to the automaker’s new electric vehicles — an announcement that was later determined to be an early April Fools’ Day joke. 

According to a survey conducted on behalf of Ad Age by The Harris Poll, the stunt’s impact on American consumers was decidedly mixed. 

Twenty-one percent of consumers had heard about Volkswagen’s announcement by the time they took the survey, and of those who had heard of the news, 73% were aware it was an April Fool’s joke. 

In terms of the impact on consumer’s perception of the brand, it appears the campaign was a wash: 59% said it didn’t change their opinion of the brand, and while 20% said it made their opinion change for the better, 21% said they now hold a worse opinion of the brand. 

Similarly, only 19% are more likely to buy its product after learning of the April Fool’s joke, while 69% said it had no impact on their likelihood to buy, and 12% said it would make them less likely to buy. 

Overall, consumers are divided on whether or not brands should participate in April Fools’ Day stunts — 54% say they should not. For the 54% of consumers who believe brands shouldn’t participate, the reason most commonly cited was that it creates confusion for customers (62% said this). And for the 46% of consumers who believe brands should participate, the reason most commonly cited was that it’s a creative way for brands to advertise (66% said this).

However, there was a clear generational divide here — which is also reflected in consumer perceptions of the stunt: 64% of millennials and 61% of Gen Zers think brands should participate in April Fools’ Day stunts — but only 38% of Gen Xers and 35% of baby boomers feel the same. 

Millennials were the most likely to have had a positive change in opinion after hearing of the ‘Voltswagen’ stunt (30% of millennials) and to report being more likely to buy a Volkswagen product because of it (37% of millennials). 

But millennials were also the most likely to hold a worse opinion of the brand because of it (34% of millennials) — indicating that even among younger consumers, these tactics can be polarizing.