“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on –shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
There’s something about April Fools day which I love. It’s not recognized as a national holiday, Hallmark don’t sell ‘happy fools day cards’ (then again I could be wrong about that one) and there’s no real target market as adults and children both equally participate.
But it is jolly good fun and these days it’s not restricted to silliness in the playground or fake stories in the newspapers.
Google (or should I say Topeka) have led the way online in recent years but its not just the larger companies that have been noticed. The viral effect of social media means that any small business with the right prank can generate themselves quite a large amount of exposure very quickly.
So why shouldn’t a photography business be any different?
Well, be aware that there is such a thing as bad publicity and if you’re a family portrait photographer then tread very carefully.
3 golden rules for creating an effective Aprils Fools prank
- Don’t ever be racist or discriminative
- Try not to be too sexist
- Don’t at any point suggest that you might be or in someway connected to a paediatrician (or any other word that sounds a bit like it).
If you ignore the last three rules and decide to be ironic just be sure it’s clear and that people ‘get it’.
Here’s an example of what not to do……….Issue a press release that says something like this….
Photography studio with “no fat chicks” policy offers white male pediatricians half price off baby photos
Whatever you choose to do keep it lighthearted and enjoyable for all.
Here’s a list of the Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time to give you a bit of inspiration.
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Michael has been working as a photographer for the last ten years. In that time he has shot over 100,000 peoples’ portraits and worked in four different continents. In 2001 Michael graduated with a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan University.