What it had to solve
Draw attention to Volkswagen's electric push in the United States, where it sold a single EV at the time.
The idea
Announce a deadpan rename to 'Voltswagen', first as an 'accidental' leak and then as an official release, so the press reports it as fact.
How it works
A draft press release was 'accidentally' published on a Monday and reported first by CNBC while a spokesperson declined to say whether it was a stunt. On Tuesday Volkswagen published a release calling the change a 'public declaration' of its investment in e-mobility, quoting CEO Scott Keogh on 'EVs for the millions, not just millionaires', and its social accounts promoted a fake 'Voltswagen' logo with the line '66 is an unusual age to change your name'.
What it did
The change was reported as real by the Associated Press, the BBC and dozens of other outlets including The Verge, and Wall Street firm Wedbush published a note on it. Reuters and the Wall Street Journal then reported it was an April Fools' stunt, which VW confirmed. The Verge rewrote its story, and criticised the lie.
Background
In late March 2021 Volkswagen of America seemed to announce it was renaming itself Voltswagen to signal its EV push. It first 'accidentally' published a draft release, then issued an official one, and promoted the fake logo on social media. The Verge's headline originally reported the change as real and was updated once the company confirmed it was a lie in service of a stunt.
The Verge noted that the Volkswagen Group had begun an $86 billion push into electric vehicles, that the company's diesel emissions scandal made the claim plausible to some, and that Volkswagen Group declined to comment. Its tone was critical: the stunt got the name to the press but also the label of a company 'known for lying'.
Why it lands
The 'accidental' leak, an official release and in-character social posts made the fake news credible.
Volkswagen's recent history made an absurd rebrand seem plausible to reporters.
April Fools' timing let the company reveal the joke within days.
What you can take
A stunt that asks the press to treat a joke as news gets reach, but it spends trust that the newsrooms may not give back.
Since then
Reuters and the Wall Street Journal reported that Volkswagen of America was expected to reveal on Wednesday that the name change was a stunt, and The Verge updated its story the same day after the company confirmed it.
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