giffgaff Debuts with Video Competition

Giffgaff giffgaff, the self-styled People powered mobile network launches today. Operating as an independent company, the MVNO will deliver its hybrid pre-pay/post-pay service using the O2 network.
The network aims to tap into existing online behaviour, where people get involved by creating content, suggesting new ideas, and supporting each other with queries on forums or blogs. The more members get involved, the greater the rewards in terms of cash, mobile credit, or a donation to a charity or fundraising group. 
To promote the launch, a campaign devised by Albion London will see people in strange-looking, lurid suits wandering around urban areas helping people with their shopping or giving directions (it says here).
The network has made the suits, along with a range of 11 other outfits or objects available for hire to new users of the network (it says here again). giffgaff users will be encouraged to create videos using these outfits or objects and then upload them to YouTube.
The clips will then form part of a viral campaign to help publicise the giffgaff network. In return the videomakers have a chance of winning up to 5,000 or receive free UK mobile calls, texts and mobile Internet access for up to a year.
In fact, looking at the giffgaff website, the suit, called a Gimp suit, is one of 13 tools that giffgaff users can hire to make their video, so as well as people in lurid suits, you can also keep an eye out for the Musicle, a musical bike; and The Captain a suit made of Bubble Wrap.
Were not sure whether this is an early April Fools release, or the bleeding edge of crowdsourced marketing, where the users do all the work. Only time, and giffgaffs user numbers, will tell. In the meantime, it should give students something to do.