Australia's First University Press

The Hard Sell

The Tricks of Political Advertising

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What is unique about political advertising? Is it really all that effective in changing votes? And why does it have to be so annoying.


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.

Dee Madigan

About The Author

Dee Madigan is an award-winning creative director. She is a panellist on The Gruen Planet (ABC TV) and appears on Sky's The Contrarians PM Live and The Perrett Report. She can also be heard regularly on ABC Radio, and writes for a range of publications.

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