# April Fools Doughnut Giveaways This Chain is Celebrating the Doughnut Harvest on April Fools Day By Katherine Pendrill | Published 2016-03-30 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doughnut-harvest References: [brandeating](http://www.brandeating.com/2016/03/krispy-kreme-celebrates-donut-harvest-with-free-donuts-on-april-1-2016.html) & [krispykreme](http://www.krispykreme.com/DoughnutHarvest) To celebrate April Fools Day 2016, [Krispy Kreme](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/free-original-glazed-doughnuts) is honoring a fictional event called the [Doughnut Harvest](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pinkbox-doughnuts-school-themed). Whether you believe doughnuts really come from trees or not, the event provides a tasty way to indulge in a classic Krispy Kreme treat. According to Krispy Kreme's website, April 1st is marks the annual Doughnut Harvest Celebration. This refers to the winter season during which " hundreds of thousands of bushels of doughnettes" are hand-selected and bought into Krispy Kreme locations for glazing and decorating. This year, the chain is marking the occasion by giving away [free Original Glazed doughnut](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/krispy-kreme-election-day) to customers. While the Doughnut Harvest is obviously an April Fools joke, the giveaway is very real. This means that even non-believers can get their hands on a delicious doughnut on April Fools. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.0/10 - Popularity: 43% | Activity: 70% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Publicity Stunts](https://www.trendhunter.com/publicitystunts) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Fictitious Marketing Holidays:** Opportunities to celebrate fictitious holidays that align with a brand's values or products, giving consumers a playful and memorable experience. - **Free Product Giveaways:** Brand activations that offer a free product are an opportunity to engage customers and attract buzz on social media. - **Product Seasonality Celebration:** Celebrating a product's seasonality can increase perceived value, while hinting at limited time offerings and get customers excited to try them out. ### Where This Applies - **Fast Food Industry:** Restaurants can leverage marketing efforts to offer fictitious events, promotions and limited time offerings to bring in traffic and gain brand loyalty. - **Marketing Industry:** Implementing creative, playful and humorous marketing strategies, ads and promotions can connect brands with audiences and increase virality. - **Food Industry:** Food companies can create and market seasonal products that drive demand and increase excitement among customers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Complimentary Donut Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/krispy-kreme-national-doughnut-day.md) - [Mystery Flavor Donuts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/april-fools-month-mystery-donut.md) - [Blackhole-Inspired Donut Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/free-original-glazed-doughnuts.md) - [Leap Day Donut Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/leap-day-promotion.md) - [Seasonal Fall Donut Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/golden-harvest-collection.md) - [Kindness-Themed Donut Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/krispy-kreme-world-kindness-day.md) - [Halloween Candy-Inspired Donuts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/krispy-kreme-trick-or-treat-collection.md) - [No-ID Donut Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/free-original-glazed-donut.md) - [Easter-Themed Doughnut Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/krispy-kreme-5.md)