The group, Stamp Stampede, is led by Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen. Stamping out big money in politics

“It’s a petition on steroids.” That’s the way Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, describes the Stamp Stampede — his guerrilla marketing campaign that uses money to get money out of politics. Literally.

Almost three years after the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opened the door to super PACs and unlimited corporate election spending on elections, advocacy groups like Public Campaign, Public Citizen and People for the American Way helped pass ballot referendums in two states and resolutions through nine state legislatures, calling for a constitutional amendment to nullify Citizens United. More than 400 municipalities have joined these states and about 150 members of Congress support at least one amendment proposal.


But as Steven Spielberg’s movie about Abraham Lincoln reminds us, it’s not easy to amend the Constitution. Straightforward, advocacy organizing strategies are important, but they may not be enough to change the status quo. That is where Stampede comes in.

Ben Cohen is no Lincoln, but he is a gifted marketing entrepreneur and his open source Stampede marketing campaign may become the new model for how to fuse social media and grass-roots activism with the assets of existing organizations to engage and provoke the public in demanding change. Here is how it works: People buy inexpensive stamps at an online store with message like, “Not to be used for bribing politicians” and “The system isn’t broken, it’s fixed.” They stamp these messages on the money they use everyday. Then, they go about their daily routine, spending money on groceries, gas, movies — you name it — and spreading the message about too much money in politics.

The Stampede has the advantage of viral marketing: It’s easy, replicable, engaging and audience driven. The campaign goes one step beyond Marshall McLuhan’s famous adage, “the medium is the message.” In the Stampede, money is the message and the medium. As stamped currency circulates through the economy, the message spreads. More people stamp. More money circulates. A Stampede to get money out of politics ensues.

The campaign seamlessly integrates online with offline activities. The stamps feature a URL and hashtag: #GetMoneyOut. As more and more stamped currency enters the marketplace, the online conversation will grow. The integration of online and offline activities transforms a solitary activity like stamping into a social form of activism by creating a community where people can share stories, pictures, problems and successes.

Finally, it’s open source — it embraces an inclusive model that works with the myriad of advocacy organizations invested in campaign-finance reform. It allows any partner organization to design its own stamp with its own message, a unique URL and hashtag. On the surface, this sounds like a branding nightmare, but it highlights a key point: It’s not about the organization or the campaign; it’s about the movement. In a world where nonprofit advocacy groups are forced to compete for limited resources, this model is rare, but essential. After all, a rising tide lifts all ships.

Those who have used stamped money say the presence of Cohen’s messages on currency packs an unexpected punch — it resonates with some who take the money, provoking others and engaging just about all. Cohen calls it “monetary jujitsu.”

The campaign is relatively new, but Cohen reports that it’s already taking off: There’s a bar in Burlington, Vt., where people stamp daily and there’s a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop in Texas with a stamping station. More than 1,000 people have already purchased stamps. And the market for Stampede sales and the Stampede message is large — over 80 percent of Republicans, independents, Democrats and others agree that there is too much money in politics. According to StampStampede.org, each stamped dollar passes through an average of 875 hands a year. With hundreds of thousands of stamped dollars already in circulation and momentum growing, this is a campaign to keep an eye on in 2013.

Boston had the Tea Party. Ben Cohen’s brought us the stamp party. The question is: Will the stampers be successful?

As the new year begins and the fight for a constitutional amendment escalates, the Stamp Stampede might make the difference in whether Citizens United stands or falls and whether out-gunned advocacy organizations learn to use new tools to make up for their lack of cash to fuel public campaigns.

Matthew MacWilliams is president of MacWilliams Sanders Communication. Edward Erikson is a senior associate at MSC and teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.