A part of us all thought the Will Smith-Chris Rock event was a prank.
There are fewer of us now, but some still believe it was. The Oscars is a dying genre, so it needed a bit of pep, and after all, any publicity is good publicity. Am I right?
It wouldn’t surprise if the Academy Award Production Company thought a prank would help promote the event. Such is their aloofness from reality. They’re up there with the British Royal Family with disconnect.
But the trouble with pranks is that they rarely positively promote the brand. Even if the target of a prank was an inanimate object, leaving people feeling tricked is not a great marketing trick. People rarely remember what you say, but they remember how you made them feel. Being duped is not a good feeling.
So how did I go with this year’s April Fool’s Day joke at work? It was half clever and fully feasible, but people are wiser these days, and the monthly ‘beware of phishing’ reminders has everyone on high alert for scam emails.
It duped three people. At least their ego is intact because their gullibility wasn’t on public display. Only I know.
There were no winners from the Will Smith-Chris Rock episode. And it wasn’t a prank.
One thing we are feeling duped about is how we used to feel about Will Smith. I think that’s changed now.