Case Study • 1 min Read
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.
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Get the full data tabs for this survey conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Ad Age during April 2-5, 2021, among 1,125 U.S. adults ages 18 and older with additional branding insights provided by Harris Brand Platform.
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