Wanna avoid the risk of poor publicity? Skip April Fools
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Added to the list of corporate cancellations in light of COVID-19: April Fools’ Day.
For the first time in history, Google Inc. plans to cancel its annual April Fools’ Day spoofs due to COVID-19, according to Reuters.
Google said in an internal email provided to the wire service it had suspended its annual tradition "out of respect for all those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let's save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one," it said in the internal email to staff.
Taylor Herring, a British PR agency whose clients include TV channels and international brands, is telling all companies to ditch the jokes this year: "Tip for any brands planning an April Fool's Day stunt. Just. Don't," it said on social media.
Meanwhile, officials in countries from Thailand to India have told people not to make pranks on April 1 related to coronavirus, threatening as much as five years of jail time in some cases, as countries seek to prevent the spread of rumors that could put lives at risk, according to the wire service.
More insurance and risk management news on the coronavirus crisis here.
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