Microsoft calls off practical jokes for April Fools’ Day

On April Fools’ Day, many marketers flex their creative muscles hoping to capture attention from consumers and journalists.

This year, Microsoft is bucking the trend with a recent directive to its workforce.

The company’s marketing chief, Chris Capossela, sent an internal memo to employees telling them not to pull public pranks on April 1. In it, Capossela said that doing so doesn’t generate much brand buzz—but a bad joke or stunt can result in a PR crisis.

The Verge obtained and published the email:

Hey everyone,

It’s that time of year when tech companies try to show their creativity with April Fools’ Day stunts. Sometimes the outcomes are amusing and sometimes they’re not. Either way, data tells us these stunts have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles.

Considering the headwinds the tech industry is facing today, I’m asking all teams at Microsoft to not do any public-facing April Fools’ Day stunts. I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day.