Every year, someone goes too far.
So far today, I've received press releases about turning Watkins Glen into an oval and an adult beverage company looking to sponsor the air in a racecar's tires. No harm, no foul.
That said, CarAndDriver.com is in full damage control mode after announcing in a news item that President Obama (who just ordered the CEO of General Motors out of his job, btw) had also ordered Chevy and Dodge to quit NASCAR. A real kneeslapper, all things considered.
The first rule of April Fool's jokes should be: If the premise is plausible and negative... it's not funny and is very likely to blow up in your face.
CarAndriver.com posted this: "Featured Item: Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR"
And then this: "HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY! THIS IS A JOKE. LIGHTEN UP, PEOPLE."
And finally this: "Sorry! - Car News April 2009 Car and Driver has a proud tradition of April Fools’ Day jokes stretching back 30 years. We regret if this year’s went too far."
Needless to say, I would not want to be their ad salesman in charge of the GM and Chrysler accounts this morning when these car companies found out about "THE JOKE."
Respected veteran PR man Denny Darnell, speaking on behalf of himself, circulated the following to all of his media contacts:
"This is the response to the story on Car and Driver.com and today's headline update trying to validate the atrocious feature that was posted last night.... I have been in this business more than 30 years and I have never seen a story so irresponsible. It cannot be passed off as a joke. Lighten up? There's a time for jokes. Not with the issues our country faces today. Serious damage was done here. The auto industry. NASCAR. Our profession...."
