Lectrosonics, the New Mexico-based wireless and audio electronics manufacturer, recently issued its annual April Fools press release to great acclaim. Most of the industry has caught on to — and breathlessly awaits — this annual event. However, there are still plenty of web sites that automatically post just about any press release they receive, guaranteeing that each year’s creative exercise will be proliferated.
The 2012 entry has been acclaimed as one of the best of the series. It’s the SM-SHAQUE Battery Eliminator. Playing on the idea of generating electricity by moving a magnet within a copper coil, Lectrosonics posits a wireless transmitter that can be recharged through physical shaking. With April Fools Day on a Sunday this year, the release was issued in advance, complete with an embargo date. The release was accompanied by convincing Photoshop art by Director of Business Development Karl Winkler, depicting an electromagnet the size and shape of an AA battery, integrated into the company’s SM bodypack transmitter.
The key to the success of these press releases is playing on the real-world needs of audio pros and using just enough actual science to make them convincing. Some have been successful enough to make it into print magazines; others were silly enough that no one was fooled. All are good for a chuckle in the middle of a typically hectic workday.
Here’s a quick round-up of previous Lectrosonics April Fools PR, conveniently archived on the company’s website:
2012 – SM-SHAQUE Battery Eliminator
2011 – Bounded Squelch (BS) feature for Digital Hybrid Wireless
2010 - Aspen Firmware Version4.01.10 with Jargon Lift feature
2009 – QP1 Wireless Microphone
2008 – WA520 Wireless Antenna
2007 – Heritage Series vintage-look transmitters
2006 – XSDT (eXtra-Super-Damn-Tiny) wireless microphone
2005 – Battery Banshee low battery warning system
Kudos to Lectrosonics for the creativity and effort they put into this much-anticipated annual event.
