T-Mobile breaks the tradition of April Fool's Day pranks with #GiveThanksNotPranks

Breaking the tradition of releasing amusing April Fool's Day campaigns two years in a row, T-Mobile is asking people to support and donate with #GiveThanksNotPranks.

Mobile communications brand T-Mobile is calling on everyone to pause the pranks on April Fool's Day this year and instead focus on gratitude. Alongside other brands, they have launched a movement to #GiveThanksNotPranks this April 1. The campaign is inspired by a study finding that those who witness even a single act of gratitude are more inspired to join in and express gratitude themselves. The brand had run this campaign last year too. Back then, they had concentrated on supporting healthcare workers. This year, the campaign's focus is on teachers and classrooms.

Joining T-Mobile in this endeavour are brands such as Motorola, OnePlus, SanMar, Wattpad, Mattress Firm, Sleep.com and Drone Racing League. They have pledged their support for the movement and will be pausing the pranks to instead give donations to non-profit organisations. These brands are also driving a wave of shout-outs through their social media channels with the #GiveThanksNotPranks hashtag. TikTok will also be a part of the campaign, helping it transcend Twitter — bringing their community in with the hashtag challenge.

Leveraging the support of customers and fans on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, T-Mobile will be donating $5 to DonorsChoose for each post, up to $500,000 campaign total. They will also match individual donations made directly to its DonorsChoose campaign, up to the $500,000 campaign total. Customers and fans will also have the option to donate $5 of their own to DonorsChoose by texting THANKS to the designated number.

In one of the tweets, T-Mobile asked people to tag brands they feel should be a part of the campaign. Then, they tagged those brands and asked them to join in, which they did with much enthusiasm.

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T-Mobile has a history of releasing an elaborate April Fools Day campaign every year. Some of the most noticeable ones include #BingeOnUp (2016), T-Mobile ONEsie (2017), T-Mobile Sidekicks (2018) and T-Mobile Phone BoothE (2019). This is why the #GiveThanksNotPranks campaign is truly a shift from the usual business, giving them the leverage to put forth a credible campaign.

#BingeOnUp (2016)

T-Mobile ONEsie (2017)

T-Mobile Sidekicks (2018)

T-Mobile Phone BoothE (2019)

“T-Mobile has always had so much fun pulling big stunts on April Fools’ Day, but once again, it just makes sense to refocus all of that energy to transform this day and instead send thanks to every hero who has gone above and beyond to keep us all afloat in these challenging times. And we’re so excited that so many great brands are joining us! So, who else is in?” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile.