Safety

When Companies Stop Being Serious and Start Being Funny

April 1, 2014

For one day each year, businesses no longer are competing in the world market for the next best idea or game-changing breakthrough. On April Fools Day, they embark on an effort to outprank each other.

Sandy Smith

Gmail kicked off corporate America’s ode to April Fools Day a day early, unveiling on March 31 its new feature: theShelfie – the SHareable sELFIE.

They soon were joined by Fruit of the Loom’s Undie Iron; the #SelfieBot from Orbotix, which makes the smartphone-controlled toy ball, Sphero; and Reese's, which tweeted an ad for its popular peanut butter cups promoting the peanut butter-free peanut butter cup.

See the pranks and their descriptions in the IndustryWeek slideshow “April Fools' Day: When Businesses Prank [SLIDESHOW],” by Ginger Christ.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.