April Fools’ Day has a long history, with some tracing it back to the 1500s when France switched calendars. Those who didn’t get the memo were labeled as “April fools.” Fast forward to today, and pranking has evolved from schoolyard jokes to sophisticated corporate stunts. That’s the topic of today’s episode of CarTalk with Kartik.

Google’s joke products. Tesla’s wild claims. Amazon’s fake launches. What do they all have in common?

They’re not just for fun — they’re strategic market tests in disguise.

The Smartest Companies Are Always Testing

While these corporate pranks make headlines, they also reveal something crucial: the best companies don’t wait for April 1st to experiment with bold ideas. Instead, they constantly test new positioning, features, and messaging angles to see what sticks before making big bets.

As a tech scaleup, you can do the same. You don’t need an R&D budget the size of Google’s to run clever experiments. You just need a willingness to test.

3 “Low-Risk Pranks” You Can Run Right Now

Instead of playing it safe, try injecting some bold thinking into your go-to-market strategy this week:

✅ A/B Test a Surprise Tagline: Take a break from your usual messaging. Run an experiment with a completely unexpected tagline and see if engagement improves.

✅ Soft Launch a Feature With a Playful Name: Introduce an existing feature under a new, unconventional name and gauge customer reactions. Sometimes, a simple rebrand can spark new interest.

✅ Position Your Product in an Unexpected Way for a Week: If you’re known as a tool for X, try positioning it as a solution for Y. A shift in narrative can reveal untapped market segments.

These quick tests provide real market insights — far more valuable than endless internal debates about what might work.

The Real Fools Are Afraid to Experiment

Tech is full of cautionary tales of companies that played it too safe while competitors disrupted the market. The biggest risk? Not testing bold ideas at all.

So, what’s one crazy experiment you could run this week? Drop a comment and let’s brainstorm!

CarTalk with Kartik is brought to you by Caribou Strategic — helping tech scaleups stand out and succeed.

🚀 For more insights, check out my Amazon bestseller Product Marketing Wisdom. Get your free ebook HERE.