Author(s): Dee Madigan

Modern Thought

In The Hard Sell, creative director Dee Madigan uses her trademark humour and down-to-earth approach to unveil the world of political advertising. Drawing on real-life stories from her own recent Federal and State campaigns, she gives us fascinating industry insight into: * How political ads are designed to work; * Who are they designed to work on; * How we pay for them; * Why we make so many negative ads; * How personal is too personal; * How spin works, particularly in an election campaigns; * How to make messages cut through the cynicism; * How politicians use journos who use politicians who use journos; * The gendered nature of it all; * And finally, what happens when it all turns to sh*t! Dee is candid about the tricks of the trade and the lessons that can be learnt.