giffgaff™ – Social Media Newsroom

giffgaff, a new community-led mobile phone network is launching its first ever advertising campaign as it emerges from its beta phase. Debuting early next week, the national campaign is designed to engage and attract the millions of mobile users who are ready to embrace a new kind of mobile network run in conjunction with its community rather than larger, more impersonal corporate entities.

The centrepiece of the adverts, developed with creative agency Albion, is a caricature of ‘The Man’ – an anonymous figure seemingly in control of the world.  Each execution takes a tongue in cheek look at The Man lampooning his excessive behaviours, from frequenting gentlemen’s clubs to avoiding use of public transport.  Consumers are encouraged to take back control by entering the world of community-led giffgaff, a new kind of mobile network ‘run by you ’, without hidden charges and long contracts and where unlimited truly means unlimited.

Planned by Zenith, giffgaff’s first foray into advertising will debut in the Metro and on LCD screens in rail stations across the country on 1st June. The outlets have been carefully selected to reflect the brand’s commitment to keep costs low by avoiding big budget TV advertising.

Cristel Lee Lead, Chief of Marketing, said: “We wanted our launch campaign to communicate in a humorous and engaging way that there is finally a refreshing alternative for consumers in the world of mobile operators.  giffgaff is a new and very different kind of mobile phone company, that delivers a cost-effective way of doing mobile. It’s the leading alternative for consumers who want all the benefits of being in a contract, but without the lengthy, restrictive terms.”

Mike Fairman, giffgaff CEO, said: “There are over six million people in the UK who prefer to steer clear of big mobile companies, so with giffgaff we’re providing an alternative.  Since BETA launch in November 2009, we have a strong community of 6,000 who have been running giffgaff and shaping it into what they want.  We don’t have huge call centres or retail shops to run and the fact that we don’t make extravagant flashy ads means we can keep costs low, while making our members  feel part of the brand.

A great example of how giffgaff is run by its community, and not by The Man, is the launch of goodybags, our price bundles, which are truly unlimited. We asked our community what they wanted, and received 285 responses, which helps to guide the development of the product. “

The three week long campaign will run until 22nd June to further boost giffgaff’s offering nationwide and to mark the significance of its official launch, building on its previous success.