For every well-executed corporate hoax, there's an overeager company whose ill-conceived pranks have blown up in their faces, sometimes badly.

While many brands have successfully leveraged April Fools’ Day for marketing, some pranks have misfired, leading to public relations challenges.

Musk's social media antics were part of an April Fool's prank, but investors weren ... on any email" by adding a GIF of a yellow animated minion character (from the animated "Despicable Me ...