It can be tempting to get in on the April Fools’ Day fun, but is it a good idea for email marketers to do so? On April 1, Matt Lindner of Internet Retailer Magazine asked me about this issue.

Matt Lindner: Are you seeing more or fewer companies doing April Fools’ emails?

Chad White: Over the years I’ve seen fewer and fewer retailers doing April Fools’ Day campaigns—or at least fewer that include any kind of joke or prank. Nowadays, retail emails on April 1 either don’t mention it or half pun/half reassure that their email is “No joke.”

Are they generally a good idea or a bad idea?

Honestly, in the age of social media, the risks involved with your April Fools’ joke not hitting the mark are pretty high. It has to be funny in just the right way—and definitely not at the expense of the subscriber. The bar is pretty high on April 1, whereas it’s much easier to be funny the other 364 days of the year.

If a company is going to try an April Fools’ e-mail promotion, how would you recommend they go about it? Which companies tend to do a better job than others on April Fools’ Day?

The most important consideration is whether participating in April Fools’ Day is on brand for you. Does your brand have a sense of humor like Moosejaw, ThinkGeek, and Threadless? If not, it’s probably best not to play with fire.

For instance, ThinkGeek and West Elm both sent April Fools’ emails earlier today. ThinkGeek’s email led with a promo for “Mad Max”-inspired Power Wheels Desert Drifters vehicles. The product page looks legit and it includes pictures and an awesome video. The joke is revealed when you try to add the product to your cart. It’s a cute gag because it involves badass kids, doesn’t cross any political lines, doesn’t come at anyone’s expense, and is topical—with “Mad Max: Fury Road” coming out next month. Plus, ThinkGeek has a history of April Fools’ jokes, so you kind of expect it.

On the other hand, West Elm’s April Fools’ email is out of character for the home goods brand. I suppose that makes it super surprising, because you’re really not expecting it, but the campaign also damages brand trust, which is precious. The email’s subject line is “Thanks for your order!” which, in the age of data breaches and identity theft, made some people think that their credit card information had been stolen or that the items they had stored in their shopping cart had accidently been ordered. Those are not the associations that retailers want to create. Even though the body of the email makes it clear that the “Receipt from the Future” is a joke, some subscribers have taken to social media to let West Elm know that they were not amused.

For more on what happened on April Fools’ Day, read the full story on InternetRetailer.com.