Why are big brands pulling PR stunts?
Duo didn't die, he's not real...
If you’ve been on social media this week, you may have seen brands posting April Fools “announcements”. From Cadbury’s to Ikea, there has been an influx of these announcements on social media advertising fake new products, or recalling old favourites.
It’s understandable why brands do this. Hair Syrup posted a video on TikTok that showed the increase in sales and reach as a result of their April Fools announcement.
These big changes, rebrands, or discontinuations work in a similar way to rage-bait online. The outrage caused by the content leads to more users than usual interacting with the brand’s social media. Also, in an age where so much of a company’s marketing is done through social media and UGC creators, it makes sense that they would seize the opportunity to up engagements. So, whilst it is a bit cringey that big names are posting rage-bait, it makes sense from a marketing perspective that they would do this, and most users will probably take anything they see on 1st April with a pinch of salt.
However, brands that have made me cringe recently are Duolingo and Lipton. Lipton jumped the gun, announcing on the 18th of March that their iconic peach iced tea would be discontinued, stating “Rest in Peach” on their Instagram. It was definitely a talking point, and did prompt some consumers into panic buying an iced tea. However, the brand pulled such a fast turn-around on their own PR stunt that people hardly had time to ‘grieve’ their favourite flavour.
Just a day after the initial post, Lipton posted again, claiming that Peach is here to stay, with a playful caption stating that they got the April Fools date mixed up. Some people have speculated that the reaction to the initial announcement was so bad that the brand’s social media managers had to own up sooner than planned.
Lipton’s March Fools flop happened not long after Duolingo pulled a similar stunt, announcing that their green owl mascot, Duo, had died. I found out when my friend told me that “Duo is dead!”, and I was baffled. He’s not real. Why was the brand grieving an owl that they themselves had decided to kill off?
It is clear that Duo’s death (and eventual revival) had the intended reaction, unlike Lipton’s half-hearted stunt. Duo has a big social media presence - partaking in trends, showing up in comment sections, and most recently, dying. I am not a Duolingo user and don’t follow them on any platforms, but was kept up to date by dozens of videos appearing on TikTok, both from normal users and from Duolingo brand accounts from around the world.
This article summarises the full debacle, but the key takeaways are that Duo revealed he faked his death two weeks after it was announced. In the meantime, users were urged to keep up with their language lessons as it was the best hope for bringing Duo back…
The way fans spoke of Duo as if he was real reminded me of how Mummy Pig’s pregnancy (announced February 2025) was reported on as if it was a real news story. BBC’s headline "Peppa Pig to get a new sibling" reads like the latest celebrity news, rather than the announcement of the newest storyline to a kid’s show.
The official Peppa Pig Instagram page has been posting updates, which is strange considering their target audience should not be online. Are they trying to reclaim their grown-up ex-audiences?
I’m not sure what’s weirder - the fact that an official Peppa Instagram exists, or the Clearblue product placement?
I came across one video on TikTok that offered a particularly interesting theory, linking the rise of conservative ideals to Mummy Pig’s announcement. The user argues that this is “a political move to try and subconsciously get women to have more children”.
This may sound like a huge stretch, but the user’s assertion that conservative values are becoming increasingly prominent on social media still stands (thoughts for another Thursday maybe).
To conclude, it’s a very strange time to be alive and online. Perhaps we are headed into a downwards spiral, where we worship Duo in cults, and Mummy Pig is a trad-wife with no rights - or maybe the Gen Z social media marketers are just having too much fun.
Just something to ponder!
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