In keeping with the spirit of April Fools’ Day, SSQ Insurance played a prank – not on its customers, but on its employees instead.

Typically, companies take the opportunity to play tricks on their customers every April Fools’ Day as a marketing stunt, but SSQ turned the formula on its head and decided to have a little fun with its own people.

On April 01, a squad of SSQ Insurance employees in on the joke wore fish masks and the company’s colours, roaming around the firm’s facilities and pranking other employees. The “fish” even “swamed” through an executive meeting, surprising those present.

A video highlighting employee reactions to the “school of fish” prank has been released by SSQ Insurance on YouTube.

The company explained that its prank highlights what makes SSQ Insurance a strong brand that resonates with the community.

“The idea for the prank comes from the social phenomenon of fish schooling, whereby fish swim together in a coordinated manner. The company wanted to illustrate this collective behaviour on April Fools’ Day as a nod to its ‘communities make us’ brand positioning,” explained SSQ Insurance vice-president of marketing and e-business Annie Lafond.