In the lead-up to the 2014 Victorian state election, advertising expert Dee Madigan (Gruen Planet) gave us the inside running on how political advertising works, why negative ads strike a chord, the secrets of spin, and more. In conversation with Ben Birchall.

Find out how politicians use journalists who use politicians, how gender plays into it, and what happens when it all falls apart. Get the tools to analyse all those ads we’re bombarded with during elections.