Lessons from Political Brands with Zee Cohen-Sanchez

Zee Cohen-Sanchez is the founder and executive director of Sole Strategies, a woman and minority-owned organization built by a team of political experts who specialize in strengthening grassroots campaigns at the community level. We discussed what personal brands and organizational brands can learn from political brands, this week on the On Brand podcast.

About Zee Cohen-Sanchez

Zee Cohen-Sanchez dropped out of grad school to begin helping with The Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign and from there ran part of AOC’s field program. Now, founder and Executive Director of Sole Strategies, she’s leading the charge to flip seats for progressive candidates and change the country. She’s been featured in Authority Magazine, Divine Magazine, Future Sharks, and more.

Episode Highlights

“Nothing is scarier than talking to other people—especially about politics,” Zee notes. However, learning is a critical first step in understanding your people and how we can help. This sounds simple but …

“We’re not good listeners,” Zee says of human nature, reinforcing the need of understanding those we’re trying to serve (whether through politics or business). “You have to listen to be able to solve their problem. I always say, ‘You should be talking less!’”

How can you build a better political brand? “The last thing that matters are things like your colors,” Zee advises. “You have to ask yourself, ‘What’s your why?’ Why are you doing this?” You can see this at work beyond the world of politics, as Zee cited Nike standing with Colin Kaepernick.

What brand has made Zee smile recently? Zee pointed us to a great example of a strong political brand. Gary Chambers is running for senate in Louisiana and creates amazing videos that clearly define why he’s running and what he wants to do for his community.

To learn more, go to sole-strategies.com.

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Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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