Ben Cohen is on a mission to free Ben & Jerry’s—and he’s calling on the marketing community for help.
At Brandweek in Atlanta on Wednesday, the ice cream company founder issued a brief to attendees to develop a “low-cost, quick, and easy-to-execute guerrilla marketing campaign” that can help free Ben & Jerry’s from its ownership by The Magnum Ice Cream Company so it can protect its social mission.
“This is your opportunity to help improve the quality of life for many people,” he said.
Launched in 1978 by Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield from a converted gas station in Burlington, Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s was later acquired by Unilever in 2000. The brand’s ownership then transitioned to The Magnum Ice Cream Company when Unilever spun off its ice cream division in late 2025.
Cohen and Greenfield opposed the purchase at the time, but were able to negotiate a unique agreement that allowed Ben & Jerry’s to be governed by an independent board of directors that has legal authority over its social mission, the quality of the ice cream, its marketing, and use of the trademark, while Unilever gained rights over finances and operations.
The relationship deteriorated before the Magnum spinoff. Ben & Jerry’s subsequently sued Unilever, claiming it had silenced the company over its stance on Gaza.
After the spinoff, Magnum ousted Ben & Jerry’s CEO Dave Stever and replaced him with a longtime Magnum exec. The move prompted Greenfield to step down from the company and Cohen to launch the Free Ben & Jerry’s campaign, which has garnered 200,000 signatures on its petition and amassed a social media following of roughly 800,000.
In July, Ben & Jerry’s said it will be forced to close its foundation by the end of the year due to funding cuts. The company claims that Magnum has refused to meet with Ben & Jerry’s independent board and has ignored its authority.
Magnum continues to assert that Ben & Jerry’s is not for sale.
Cohen’s creative brief
“The fate of Ben & Jerry’s is in your hands,” Cohen told the audience at Brandweek. “We need to pressure Magnum to sell.”
To do that, Cohen set a brief for the audience to develop a campaign that dials up the pressure on Magnum even further. With an open format, entrants are invited to submit a concept that “best executes the idea on a guerrilla budget,” whether it’s a live stunt or a social campaign. The brief asks that the activity take place in the U.S. or Amsterdam, where Magnum is headquartered.
