Posted by: chatty lady
April Fools' Day pranks... - 03/31/10 11:20 AM
Do you enjoy the absurdity of April Fools' Day pranks? Perhaps you'll appreciate one of the all-time best April Fools' day hoaxes: the Taco Bell ad that didn't quite ring true.
On April 1, 1996 Taco bell purchased full page ads in newspapers such as USA Today and the New York Times, declaring that the company had bought the Liberty Bell and renamed it The Taco Liberty Bell. People in Philadelphia, home of this historic monument, and across the nation flooded government offices with calls, expressing their outrage and asking whether the tale was true. The facts came out later that day when Taco Bell afdmitted the ad was an April Fools' joke. The fast food chain made amends by donating $50,000.00 towards preserving the Liberty Bell.
Turns out the donation was a pittance compared to the profits Taco Bell received from the wide spread publicity; sales increased by more than $400,000.00 for that week...
It seems food products have always played a role in April Fools' Day hoaxes. Another infamous example was in 1957, when a British TV show reported that Swiss farmers had recently "harvested" a "crop" of spaghetti. The news caused many excited viewers to call and ask how they too could do the same?
More recently in 1998, Burger King promoted the sale of a new "left handed" Whopper. Burger King claimed it had rotated the condiments 180 degrees to make the sandwich easier for left handers to eat. Thousands asked for it, while thousands of others requested the right handed version.
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I hope you've enjoyed looking back to when companies played pranks on us all. I do believe there was a method to their madness however.
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY tomorrow...
On April 1, 1996 Taco bell purchased full page ads in newspapers such as USA Today and the New York Times, declaring that the company had bought the Liberty Bell and renamed it The Taco Liberty Bell. People in Philadelphia, home of this historic monument, and across the nation flooded government offices with calls, expressing their outrage and asking whether the tale was true. The facts came out later that day when Taco Bell afdmitted the ad was an April Fools' joke. The fast food chain made amends by donating $50,000.00 towards preserving the Liberty Bell.
Turns out the donation was a pittance compared to the profits Taco Bell received from the wide spread publicity; sales increased by more than $400,000.00 for that week...
It seems food products have always played a role in April Fools' Day hoaxes. Another infamous example was in 1957, when a British TV show reported that Swiss farmers had recently "harvested" a "crop" of spaghetti. The news caused many excited viewers to call and ask how they too could do the same?
More recently in 1998, Burger King promoted the sale of a new "left handed" Whopper. Burger King claimed it had rotated the condiments 180 degrees to make the sandwich easier for left handers to eat. Thousands asked for it, while thousands of others requested the right handed version.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I hope you've enjoyed looking back to when companies played pranks on us all. I do believe there was a method to their madness however.
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY tomorrow...