Warby Parker: April Fools’ Day

An unlikely partnership with a wildly unlikely TV commercial that may just end up fooling some unfortunate viewers. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the hilarious new campaign by Warby Parker and Arby’s as they team up for this April Fool’s Day.

Memorability – 8 / 10

The sheer humor behind the concept is enough to carry it a very long way in terms of memorability. It’s hard to think of another campaign that has this kind of spin to it. The clever idea of having a promotional video practically make fun of the brands it represents might sound like a bit of a disaster, but in this case, we feel it totally works. Some of the funniest lines are incredibly easy to remember as many of them are actually “laugh out loud” worthy. It’s certainly aimed at parents, millennials and older segments of the market and it does a fine job of using irony to deliver somewhat wacky, yet strong messages.

Effectiveness 8 / 10

If you get the joke early on, both brands will certainly go up a few notches in your book. This concept is all about exposure and reaching as many people as possible by showing something very share or “chat” worthy. This nails that criteria on the head. Nothing creates a larger distance to other people more than taking yourself too seriously. This concept aims to relate to a huge amount of people by taking the complete opposite approach through self-deprecation.

Style – 9 / 10

The characters, the setting and the way the clip is set up like a news piece is very clever. Some viewers might even believe the piece is genuine at first until, of course, the lines give it away. The characters play their roles perfectly and the script deals multiple gags that most people should find incredibly funny.

Heart or Humor – 9 / 10

This is the kind of modern humor used in comedy feature films. Most brand executives would have a very hard time pitching a concept like this to leadership boards but this rare gem made it through. The clip is a fantastic example of using a holiday tradition to break the rules and create something very different. The ad certainly stands out for its sheer comedic value and both brands stand to gain a very positive level of exposure for it.

Execution – 9 / 10

A well-planned prank that is bound to have many viewers laughing with intrigue. Sometimes you can’t beat a good old fashioned awareness campaign that has two pure objectives, make people laugh and be seen by as many as possible. That said, this concept is far from old fashioned. The humor, the level of irony and concept as a whole feels very much state of the art. We really hope there’s a sequel next year!