"Voltswagen": the cheesiest April fool of 2021

Just four years ago, Volkswagen tried its hand at humor… and got its fingers burnt. On March 30, 2021, just before the traditional April Fool's Day, the American branch of the German automaker proudly announced that it was changing its name to "Voltswagen of America". The move was intended to underline the company's shift towards electric vehicles, but it quickly turned into an unfunny joke.

The operation, conceived as a trendy marketing stunt, capitalized on the easy play on words between "volt" and "volks". The intention? To get people thinking, if not laughing, about the launch of its ID.4 electric SUV. In a formal press release, Scott Keogh, then CEO of the American subsidiary, proclaimed: "We may be replacing our K with a T, but what we're not changing is our commitment to building the best vehicles for drivers around the world." It was a nice touch...

However, the joke, awkwardly launched before April 1, didn't last long. Initially taken seriously by the media, the announcement was widely reported, provoking a hype that was as rapid as it was embarrassing. In the end, the automaker backtracked, admitting it was a hoax. Too late: outraged reactions were already pouring in on social networks. "Maybe after the engine-rigging scandal, lying to the press wasn't such a good idea," quipped the editor-in-chief of CNBC.com on Twitter.

It has to be said that the joke came at a delicate time. The "Dieselgate" affair, revealed in 2015, seriously dented the group's credibility, ordered to pay over €32bn in fines and legal costs. So the idea of playing with the truth - even in jest - was not a good one. All the more so as the announcement briefly sent Volkswagen's share price soaring, prompting the SEC, the US stock market watchdog, to open an investigation.

The damage was done: Internet users cried foul, analysts remained perplexed, and crisis communications were set in motion. In an attempt to defuse the situation, Scott Keogh pleaded that the joke was a way of "celebrating [their] commitment to electrification" with a bit of humor. A humor that was clearly too Germanic to cross the Atlantic unhindered.

In retrospect, this episode remains a textbook case of what not to do when playing with the codes of viral communication. With its clumsy timing, vivid memories of past scandals, and mix of marketing and information, Volkswagen was an unwilling reminder that a good hoax needs to be credible... but also forgivable. Which, in this case, proved to be high voltage...