Google + April Fool’s
Google’s gone wild on April Fool’s, just like they do every year.
This is why everyone loves Google. How many extra eyes are going to be on their sites today and how much extra positive "good will" will they receive (from users, bloggers like me, etc.)?
The moral of the story: Devote some time to having fun. Building things "just for fun" adds whimsy to a brand; this is the "stickness" or traction that many major brands lack. This is why Google is "fun and cool" (and, by proxy, popular) and a company like Microsoft is a "stoic corporate giant."
It never hurts to toss some money into making fun things happen on the web. (And, btw, RickRolling everyone on YouTube is the greatest Internet April Fool’s prank I’ve ever seen.)
A (partial) list of Google’s April Fool’s Day pranks
- Virgle trips to Mars
- Google Calendar Wake Up service
- GMail custom time (which duped my buddy Rohan)
- Changing every video on the homepage of YouTube to RickRoll you once you click on it.
Thanks for the delightful experience, Google!
Tags: google, experience design, delight, april fools
